A Serene Adventure in the High School of Ash
by StreetRacer-Sam
Summary: Ash Ketchum was supposedly another normal Highschool student. Unknown to anyone, he has secrets, and very dark. On learning that her childhood friend is her classmate too, the new transfer student Serena decides to rekindle her friendship with him. But there are more than just handful of jealous people who don't want them together. Complete summary inside! Amourshipping!
1. Prologue

_"What in the world are you doing, Michael?"_

Slamming his foot on the gas as his one hand clutched the gear shaft and other turned the steering wheel, those were the first words the raven-haired man heard as he saw the building burning behind him through the rear-view mirror.

 _"Michael? Michael!"_ the voice repeated in his ear, but the man paid it no heed. He shifted into the second gear as he raced through the burning building.

No later his ears picked up the sound of several engines roaring behind him and tires screeching on the ground. He looked up in the rear-view mirror and saw a bunch of SUVs drifting around the corner and chasing after him.

"Don't you know when to give up?" Michael murmured under his breath as he raced through the warehouse. The noise of debris falling continued to fall in his ear and he looked back up, only to be shot at from the behind.

The bullet barely missed Michael and the raven-haired man ducked down, screeching back at them, "This is one of your own, assholes!"

Several bullets responded to his words as they pierced through the window behind. Cursing under his breath, Michael shifted into a lower gear, his feet releasing the gas slowly as he approached a hard corner. Suddenly, he slammed his foot on the clutch and pulled the handbrake, his hands frantically moving the wheel in the opposite direction.

"Take this, dipshit!"

His foot kicked the gas as soon as he found himself on the ramp leading to the lower level of the warehouse and his eyes darted over to the rear-view mirror. One of the SUVs crashed on the wall, another running into it at a fast speed.

Michael chuckled only momentarily before his eyes spotted another SUV safely mirroring his moves and following him.

"Asshole," he murmured and focused forward.

As the upper floors began collapsing behind him, Michael shifted into another gear. The engine roared below him as he floored the gas again, racing through the long hallway. He saw a shutter closing in front of him and gritted his teeth.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon..." he murmured under his breath and shifted into another gear.

He was halfway through the long hallway when he heard his colleague's voice yelling and calling for him again. The collapsing rubble was nearing him faster every passing moment and the shutter was halfway down. Bullets once again pierced through the windshield until nothing was left of it. Knowing that he wouldn't be able to make it, he shifted back into a lower gear before drifting through the pillars and towards the wall, his hands rotating the wheel frantically while he tried not to scratch the ride against the wall.

Pressing the clutch again, he shifted into an upper gear and slammed the throttle, driving along the wall. He saw a small ramp in front of him, right before a giant window. He shifted the gears up again before slamming the race and pushed himself back in the seat.

 _"Goddamn it, Michael, will you answer for once?"_

"Just shut up for a moment, Wilson!" Michael yelled, ascending on the ramp and ramming through the window. "Just shut the fuck. Up!"

The glass shattered as Michael yelled louder, his heart racing upon realising how high he was in the air. Just as he prepared himself for the painful impact from the crash, the warehouse behind him exploded with a loud bang and pushed his ride forward.

The car landed on the very edge of the roof of what appeared to be a parking area. Michael turned the wheel around to control the ride but found it spiralling out of control. The tires screeched on the ground as the car drifted on the roof. Sensing the decrease in speed, Michael pulled the handbrake, hoping to pull it back in the control but the car leaned on to one side, almost flipping around before leaning back straight on the ground.

When Michael looked up, he saw the same SUV crashing out of the window, flames ablaze inside it before it dived down. He barely heard it crashing before another explosion rung in his ears.

Stepping out of the car, Michael rushed to the edge. His chest continued to heave in and out, sweat dripping down from his forehead to chin as he stared below. The flames ablaze reflected in his eyes as he glanced at the vehicle burning below him, a hand coming out of the window.

 _"...Mi—can you he—Michael?"_

"Yeah." Michael breathed sharply, placing one hand on his waist and another on the earpiece. "Yeah, I can hear you."

 _"What are you doing?"_

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Michael snapped back. "A whole bunch of angry mobs chasing you in fucking SUVs in a burning warehouse that's about to collapse on you any moment—what do you think I'm doing?"

 _"Angry mobs in_ fuc _—what are you even talking about?"_ Michael opened his mouth to speak but was beaten by his colleague. _"Wait—did you screw up?"_

"Don't blame it on me!" Michael argued, turning around and walking back to his car. "And for the record, I succeeded. Just didn't expect them to find me so soo—"

His voice was cut off briefly when his ears picked up the sound of chopper cutting through the air and his eyes darted in its direction. His mouth opened agape and eyes widened upon the sight of a military helicopter heading his way.

 _"Holy shit, Michael, do you see it?"_

"Yeah—" He sucked in air, gulping hard. "And it's coming my way."

 _"Its wha—Michael, get the hell out of there!"_

"I-I am!" Michael said, entering the car and shutting the door behind. He shifted into the first gear, and the engine roared under him as he drifted around and headed towards the exit—close to the incoming danger.

"You gotta help me, Wilson!"

 _"I-I_ have _a plan!"_ Wilson announced in a hesitant and frantic voice. _"But you need to go around it. Meet me at the junction beyond the junkyard."_

"Are you kidding me right now? That chopper is on my ass already!"

 _"Just do as I say, Michael!"_ Wilson exclaimed, and Michael heard a familiar roar of an engine on the other end of the earpiece. _"Meet me at the junction, I have my men prepared."_

"Your men?"

 _"Just come over here in one piece and we will handle the rest."_

"Fuck you, Wilson—" Michael gritted his teeth as he glanced up in the direction of the chopper. It didn't seem to have caught him so far but at this rate, he knew it wouldn't be too long before he would be spotted.

"If I die, Wilson, I swear I will come back to life and take you with me to my grave."

 _"Then try to stay alive."_

Michael shifted into another gear and pressed the gas harder; the scratched and dust covered green chassis was shimmering slightly under the street lights as it raced towards the entrance of a large junkyard right in front of him.

* * *

Clouds thundered in the sky as the heavy downpour continued in its frenzy rage. The sound of the raindrops scattering on the glass and rippling down the frame was melodic in its own right, but the concerns of the man in the room laid elsewhere. His attention turned towards the television screen when he heard the news once again, his eyes furrowing with anxiety.

 _They should have been here by now,_ he couldn't help but think. _If they managed to escape that then they should have been here by now..._

His mind didn't stop wandering in the direction he so hated. His eyes kept going back at the screen as he witnessed the military helicopter blowing into dust for the umpteenth time. There was a brief flash, a glowing, purple beam of energy was visible at the corner of the screen _—Hyper Beam._ He knew what it was, but he didn't know who it was. What worried him more, though, was the fact that he still didn't know who did it, or rather, why they did it.

As his mind continued to wander, a sudden sound of a door slamming open thundered in his ears. His eyes raised abruptly and he moved in its direction, and right in time to see a young, brown-haired woman rushing towards the entrance.

"Michael—"

"Where's Professor?" The woman was cut short by a raven-haired man right in time as the old man came in his view. "Professor Oak!" Upon noticing the old man, Michael hurried to him, the blond on his heels.

"Michael, Wilson," the old man spoke, relief evident in his voice. "You two are safe."

"More importantly," Michael cut him short. He hesitated for a moment and looked back at Wilson. The blond sighed and continued for him.

"The relic has been taken," he stated.

Professor Oak took a moment to process the information before his eyes narrowed with concern. "That's a problem." He turned around and walked back into the laboratory, the men following him. "I have been trying to decrypt these runes for a while now and the least I have learned so far is that there is more than one relic—it's...it's some kind of tablet or maybe a map. I don't know for sure yet."

"And they don't know it yet?" Michael inquired.

"It appears so," Wilson answered. When everyone gave him a quizzical look, he continued, "I mean think about it. They used everything they have just to make sure they get their hands on yours—" Wilson looked at Michael "—and they deduced its existence based on its other half they have. If they are this desperate then either they don't know the full story yet or they are a complete dumbass."

"I'd go for the latter."

"Arguable, but not completely inaccurate."

"In any case, we have lost our only lead," Professor Oak interrupted the two who turned back to look at him.

"Considering that the chopper on my ass was blown to dust, it's safe to assume at least they don't have it either..." Michael said.

The old man looked up the raven-haired man, but his eyes spotted the brown-haired woman standing at the door behind him, her hand on her chest and eyes filled with worry as she overheard the conversation. Before he could even let out his voice, she was joined by another woman.

"Delia, what happened? I heard the commotion and—" The woman followed Delia's gaze and saw the two men. Her shoulders relaxed but her eyes panicked at their appearance. "W-What happened?"

"Oh, this is nothing," Wilson said, brushing off her concern. "Michael, on the other hand though—" He glanced at the raven-haired man from the corner of his eyes before turning to Delia "—make sure to take a look at him later. I'm actually surprised he's even alive at all..."

"W-What did you two do?" the brunette almost screamed, panic evident in her voice.

For Michael, though, her voice seemed to fade in thin air—Professor Oak realised as a breeze sprinkled on his face. The raven-haired man glanced away from them, towards the giant glass door leading to the background. A gush of air swooshed in, swaying the curtains wildly, and was it then he noticed that the door was open. His eyes narrowed and he couldn't help but ask Professor Oak, "Hey Professor, by any chance, is Daisy still outside?"

"She is on a trip with her father. She shouldn't be back for a few days at the very least...I think." Professor Oak wore a quizzical expression as he pondered over the thought, but he brushed aside his temporary concern and looked back at the raven-haired man. "Why...is something the matter?"

Michael was visibly concerned, his eyes furrowing further. Professor Oak tried to read the mind of the raven-haired man, but the most he could do was realise that something was bothering him, as an apprehensive feeling spread in the air around them.

Professor Oak felt the hair on his skin standing up when he realised Michael had sensed something. He tried to keep his cool and approach the raven-haired man when a blustering sound suddenly echoed in the house. His mind went numb, his eyes widened, and a nerve-wracking chill rushed up his spine as he watched Michael move.

Michael rushed out of the room, towards the source of the noise. Impulsively, he held onto whatever came his way and barged into the room, towards the source of the voice, unannounced, and equally unprepared. Wilson rushed after him and so did Professor Oak, but by the time they made it to the room next door, an unexpected sighted awaited them.

Michael was crashed into a table, groaning painfully. He glanced back at the culprit, Professor Oak following his gaze, but his eyes widened upon noticing an armour clad hooded man approaching Michael, a sheath in his hand. The raven-haired man leaned aside in time to dodge the incoming sheathed sword but was elbowed in the guts before he could make a move. Groaning, he looked up, at the sheath coming his way. Briefly, he considered dodging but moved forward at the very end, grabbing the sheath instead. The next thing he knew he was wrestling the armed man for the sheath, rolling on the floor in the cramped room.

Michael struggled violently, thrashing back and forth until the man let go of the sword. The raven-haired man barely caught his breath when the man punched him in the face and pressed sword onto him. By the time Michael gained his sensed back, he realised that he had already been subdued. Though the sword was still in his hand, the sheath was opened and the blade was pointed to his neck.

"I wouldn't do that if I was you."

A familiar voice rang in the air. Professor Oak followed the voice and noticed Wilson standing behind the two, a gun aimed at the hooded man and one hand motioning the professor to stand back. The man seemingly stiffened up, his eyes narrowing. He glanced back hesitantly, or maybe it was caution, but when his eyes spotted Professor Oak behind the blond, his posture loosened up.

"Samuel Oak?" the man murmured in a low voice, earning quizzical glance from the old man, who nodded back, albeit hesitantly.

"That would be me, yes."

The man continued to look at him, observing him, before he decided to let Michael go. He stood back up and turned to face Professor Oak; all the while, Wilson kept the gun pointed at the man. "Pardon my intrusion," he began, bowing his head to the old man. "My name is Ippei. I was told to deliver this to you." The man hung the sword on his back and reached out for a small, rugged bag hanging on his waist, all the while ignoring the gun pointed at him.

Professor Oak glanced at Michael who had finally gotten up to his feet. When the raven-haired man looked at him, Professor Oak nodded. Michael turned to Ippei and took the bag in a quick motion. Sniffing and slightly rubbing his left cheek, the raven-haired man walked to the professor and handed him the bag.

"You are Michael, I presume?" Ippei spoke. The raven-haired man glanced back at him, surprised but still annoyed. Ippei took his silence as his approval and bowed apologetically to him. "I apologise for assaulting you but we weren't expecting either of you two here—"

"Two?" Wilson interrupted.

"Yes." Ippei nodded. "That includes you."

Wilson's gaze softened but his eyes remained sharp. He clicked the gun, earning a terrified gasp from Professor Oak, before asking, "And who is we?"

"Saizo, mon comrade," Ippei responded. "He's outside, watching guard in case someone were to follow us."

Wilson did not appear convinced right away, but a sense of loss was evident on his face. He sighed to himself before glancing at Professor Oak from the corner of his eyes. The old man understood the gaze and opened to bag quickly, but as soon as he looked inside, his eyes widened and a gasp escaped his throat. "Impossible..." The old man looked up, somewhat astonished as he glanced at Ippei. "H-How did you get this? Where did you get it?"

"What is it, Professor?" Michael interrupted. He took the bag from Professor Oak and looked inside as well, his eyes widening. Wilson questioned him while keeping his gun straight at still unfazed Ippei, and the raven-haired man responded in a low voice, "The relic..."

"The what?"

"I-It's the relic that I lost," Michael explained, astonished.

"You've gotta be kidding me..." Wilson murmured under his breath as he hurried to the raven-haired man and looked at the relic himself, the very same they were supposed to bring back themselves.

"So it was you." Professor Oak glanced up at Ippei, eyeing him carefully. For a brief moment, the familiar scene of the chopper blowing in the sky flashed in his eyes and he came to a concrete conclusion. "You saved them."

"Precisely so, it was Saizo who saved them. I merely secured the relic," Ippei spoke, taking the hood off his head. His black hair tied in ponytail ruffled as he shook his head and glanced back at the professor. "We were tasked to assist the resistance but our only lead was you, professor—" Ippei turned to look at Michael and Wilson. "—and your names."

"So you saved my ass, huh," Michael murmured under his breath and crossed his arms. "And twice it seems. What a pain..." He sighed, waving his hand off in a visible disappointment before walking out of the room.

Delia, who was standing behind the men with Grace, walked up to him, visibly concerned. When the brunette voiced her concern, Michael sighed, forcing a small smile. "I'm fine..."

"Look after kids, honey," Wilson told the brunette standing behind Delia. Grace nodded hesitantly before both the women left. The blond eyed them one final time before turning back to look at Ippei. Handing the gun to Michael, he murmured quietly in his direction, "Follow us."

* * *

The sound of raindrops chattering on the window filled the air as the two children occupying the quiet room continued to indulge themselves in their shenanigans. A young raven-haired boy continued to click a button on a handheld electronic device, a list rolling on the screen. Images of several Pokémon flashed in their eyes and while the raven-haired boy had a smug look on his face, the honey-haired girl sitting next to him had a look of astonishment as she peeked into it.

"Do you see this? There are so many Pokémon here!" the boy spoke. "You know what that means, right? My dad is the best!" He puffed his chest proudly at those words.

The honey-haired girl clenched her hands at his loud voice, letting our a squeaking sound. The boy looked at her, observing her for a moment before a grin spread across his face. "Do you wanna see?"

The boy offered the device to the young girl. Her eyes lit up with astonishment and she glanced up at him, asking in a small, timid voice, "C-Can I?"

The boy responded with a big, enthusiastic nod and handed the device to the girl. She immediately started scrolling through it, her eyes widening in surprise at the number of Pokémon visible on it. "Amazing..."

"Isn't it?" She almost jumped when she heard him right next to her ear, now realising that he was behind her, looking up her shoulder. "My dad has run into a lot of cool Pokémon and all of them are saved in this Pokédex!" When the honey-haired girl looked up at him, he stood up to his feet and announced, "I wanna be just like my dad and become a great Pokémon Trainer one day!"

"I'm sure you can do it, Ash..." the honey-haired girl smiled as she spoke in a small voice.

"That's right!" the boy proclaimed. He glanced down at the girl for a brief moment before lunging in her direction. She was startled when he suddenly appeared in front of her, his hands firmly clasping hers. "How about we both go on a journey together one day?"

"E-Eh...?" The girl flushed brightly, his sudden confession bewildering her. She tried to voice her words but could only stammer out incoherently. In the end, she couldn't even properly tell him a yes or no.

"C'mon, Serena!" Ash sounded like he was whining. "It'll be fun! I promise!"

The girl stifled timidly, nervous to her core. With a blush spreading across her cheeks she could barely even look into his eyes. And luck seemed to be on her side at that moment because she was saved by a loud voice—a familiar voice yelling from downstairs.

Ash's persistence seemingly vanished and a quizzical look came over his features. "Did you hear that?" he asked, and when the honey-haired girl gave a small nod, he bubbled with excitement. "Let's check it out!"

Serena did not get to have a say in the situation nonetheless as Ash quickly dragged the honey-haired girl along with him. The two rushed out of the room and down the stairs, and as they did so, the honey-haired girl caught a familiar voice calling after them. She looked back only to see Ash's mother walking after them, somewhat worried, but all she could do was watch the woman as she walked after Ash, her ears picking up a different sound. The possibility seemed minimal but she felt like it was their fathers yelling at each other.

"Don't be reckless, Michael!" Wilson yelled, yet his voice appeared somewhat calm. "At least think it through—"

 _"Get the fuck away from me!"_

That was all the two could hear before an explosion like sound rang in the air. Ash hurried to the room and they entered right in time to witness the two men pulling a stone from each side with a concrete grip as the stone itself shone brightly.

"Whoa! What is that? What are you doing dad?" Ash let go off Serena's hand. "Serena, let's check it out!"

Ash rushed inside without a second thought, towards his father and leaving Serena behind. The honey-haired girl became perplexed but, in the end, her curiosity won over and she approached her father, holding onto him timidly.

"A-Ash?" Michael's frantic voice called out loudly when the young raven-haired boy approached him, holding onto his pants, looking up at him brightly.

"What are you and uncle Wilson doing, dad?" the boy inquired, completely oblivious to the painful expression on the raven-haired man's face. And yet Michael responded back, but not in the most friendly way he had anticipated.

"G-Get the hell out of here, Ash!" the raven-haired man screamed before his hand slipped from the relic. He fell on the floor and immediately held his head tightly, writhing and rolling on the floor. He breathed heavily, his chest heaving in and out. His eyes were sealed shut and teeth gritting. Everything happened in the blink of an eye before Ash could even understand anything. One moment, the man was seemingly crying blood and the next moment, all his movements ceased to exist. He laid there on the floor, breathing sharply as he stared up at the ceiling, his eyes tearful and sweat building up on his forehead.

Amidst the calm after the chaos, a small, disappointed voice rang in the air. "What did you do, Michael..."

The raven-haired boy looked at his father, into his eyes where an eminent fear resided. Michael placed his hand on his head and breathed in shakily. With the support from his other hand, he managed to get back up in a sitting position. He looked over at the other side and observed Wilson doing the same, however, the blond appeared calmer as if his sense of reasoning still remained intact. Briefly, he caught the eyes of the honey-haired girl sitting next to his father before finally averting his gaze.

"Ash..." A feminine voice called out, a motherly concern evident in it. The raven-haired boy turned around to find his mother entering the room. "What are you doing here? I told you not to—" But the brunette paused when she sensed the eerie air in the room. "W-What happened?"

"D-Dad was just screaming...and yelling," Ash spoke sincerely, a hint of fear in his voice. When Delia looked into his eyes, he averted his gaze to the floor.

In the silence, a hand squeezed his shoulder firmly and Ash was startled to his core. He looked up and saw his father looking down at him. Michael gave him a sincere smile and spoke, "Go back to your room, Ash. Wilson and I need to talk about something..." He paused, then added. "And take Serena with you."

"B-But—" He tried to argue but Michael shushed him. He wrapped his arm around the young boy and pulled him into a warm embrace, his one hand holding him and another running through his messy hair.

Ash did not complain but simply sat there in silence. He was very close to his father but never once did he hold him like this, out of the blue. His nerves tingled and he breathed in sharply, feeling a sense of fear dwelling inside him.

"Professor, will you look after him for a while?"

Michael's voice suddenly rang in his ears and a shiver rushed up his spine. He trusted his father. He had never questioned him before. But, at that moment, he felt ambiguous, like his father had put those words in that way to hide something. He tried to reason with himself, that that could not be the case but, in the end, his curiosity and fear won over. He couldn't help but ask in a timid voice, "Are you going somewhere...?"

Michael's hand stopped abruptly and a silence filled the room. Ash finally gathered enough courage to pull himself back and look up at his father, who stared at him blankly, his mouth opened agape. He appeared struggling, looking for right words to respond back with, but no matter how hard he tried, speaking the truth was too hard and painful for him.

"Yeah..." Michael murmured in a low voice. "Your mom and I—both of us need to go somewhere for a while. Do you...Do you mind?"

Ash shook his head but his eyes asked for more. The ambiguity in his voice hadn't left, after all, but the young Ash Ketchum couldn't realise how indefinite that was. To him, a while barely meant a small time. But yet as Ash watched in his father's eyes that night, pain, fear and dissolution so crystal clear within, he didn't realise how those words were meant to change his life forever—turn it upside down in ways he could never anticipate. After all, how a seven years old kid would have anticipated a tragedy that was about struck his home?


	2. Chapter 1

Working overnight wasn't an ideal path towards a consistent and successful high school life. Serena learned it the hard way when she found herself sitting on her study table, glaring at the books that were glancing back at her innocently.

With the titles varying from Physics of Flying Pokémon and Biology of Water Pokémon to the Ancient Pokémon, the Tales of Legendary Pokémon and even the History of Kalos, she was on the verge of giving up on all these assignments as she pondered over just how much undone work was lying in wait for her ahead that night.

"And to make things worse I have to submit most of these tomorrow..." the honey-haired girl whined, her arms falling wide on the table as she placed her head at the edge. "Just why didn't I finish them when I had the time?"

"Fenne—?" the fox Pokémon cried softly, tilting her head as she watched her trainer whining in annoyance. When the honey-haired girl looked up at her, Fennekin attempted to cheer her with a happy smile. "Fenne-kin!"

Serena giggled, running her hand behind the fox Pokémon's ears.

"Thanks a lot, really—" Serena sat up, shuffling herself down in the chair as she stretched her arms wide, a small moan escaping her lips. "But I will have to finish it tonight somehow or I will be dead tomorrow."

Fennekin moaned with a stern expression, reminding her trainer of the cause of her predicament. Serena seemed to realize her starter's thoughts and averted her gaze. She had always procrastinated all of this work before without any care despite how much Fennekin tried to tell her to do otherwise. She had almost always ignored her starter. Not that she never worked on them at all, but she would often end up doing something else midway and never get back to it until the next day.

The honey-haired girl sighed. Protesting wouldn't get her anywhere, she knew it. She grimaced and fell silent, heaving a long breath in as she picked up one of the books and opened it.

"Tonight, I won't deter," she told herself in a strict tone and reached out for her laptop. She opened it, woke it up from the sleep mode and after waiting for a moment, found her unfinished work glaring at her in the dark room.

Serena grumbled under her breath as she glared back at the screen. She completely disregarded the darkness of the room under the light from the fluorescent table lamp, keeping her eyes fixed on the screen as her fingers worked on the keyboard.

Fennekin continued to glance at her for a couple of minutes and once she was convinced that Serena was completely focused on her task, she hopped down from the table to the bed nearby. She sighed in content, curling her fluffy tail around her as she made herself home.

Silence fell in the room no sooner, only the sound of Serena's fingers working on the keyboard and the breeze entering through the wide-open window remained abundant. A low sound of the phone ringing filled the quiet air of her room, followed by the sound of footsteps. Serena heard slight murmuring coming from the downstairs—she expected it to be one of her mother's old colleagues from her days as a Ryhorn Racer.

Amidst her work, her Xtransceiver buzzed aloud, vibrating on the table. Serena glanced at it and saw the name of a familiar brunette flashing on the screen. She almost reached out to it, only to stop midway.

"No-no!" She shook her head and turned back to look at the screen. "I can't talk to them right now. I'm almost done with this one..." she murmured to herself.

The ringing, however, continued, causing abrupt disturbance to the honey-haired girl. Finding herself unable to concentrate, she finally reached out for the ringing device, but it fell silent the moment she took it. She glanced at the name, feeling tempted to call back as her fingers trembled over the screen but the moment she glanced up at the screen of the laptop, the pressure returned and subdued her. She sighed and turned off her Xtransceiver, her hands once again running over the keyboard as she indulged herself in the work.

However, her hands stopped moving on the very last page, her eyes lowering and shoulder sulking down as she glanced at the screen. "...what was it supposed to be again?"

Serena wondered, brainstorming for the content that would mark an end to one of her assignments but could think of nothing.

"I read it in a book, right?" she whispered to herself and immediately got up. Her chair screeched on the floor and Fennekin opened her eye, finding the honey-haired girl rushing to the bookshelf nearby. "Now where is it?"

Serena began running her fingers on several books, most of them in the upper deck were either fashion magazines or magazines of flying trainers. She didn't pay it any heed and continued to look further but could not find the title she was looking for.

"Where did it go now?" she groaned, moving down the shelf but all her attempts were in vain. The title seemed to have vanished from the shelf. She frantically opened drawers at the bottom of the shelves, her hands fumbling through everything that was placed inside.

She threw aside every magazine that came her way, eventually grabbing something big in her hand. She pulled it out, hoping for it to be the book she was looking for but was met with disappointment when she realised it wasn't. Instead, it appeared like an album with several thick layers of dust covering it.

"Is it...?" she found herself mumbling, her curiosity quipping in. She shut the drawer back close and walked back with the album in her hand.

Fennekin opened her eyes when she felt Serena sitting down beside her on the bed. The honey-haired girl blew the dust off the album and sat it down in her lap.

"Fenne-kin?" the fox Pokémon cried at her direction and the honey-haired girl glanced down at her.

"I found an old album, Fennekin," Serena explained, glancing back at the album in her lap. At those words, Fennekin acquired a stern look as she called after her trainer, telling her to go back to her work.

"Oh it'll be fine, Fennekin, it's just an album!" the honey-haired girl argued. "We'll be through it in no time, I swear!"

"Fenne—" the fox Pokémon huffed in negation, showing her disapproval. Serena, however, chose to ignore it.

"I wonder what it was doing down there..." the honey-haired girl murmured as she began opening the album.

Fennekin, despite not approving her trainer's actions, was curious enough to look at it, too. She moved next to the honey-haired girl and glanced down at her lap, letting out a surprised gasp when she saw the photo of a young honey-haired girl wearing a pink tracksuit.

"Fenne-kin?"

The fox Pokémon looked up at her trainer, her eyes glimmering with astonishment. Serena couldn't help but giggle, scratching Fennekin behind her ears.

"Yeah, this is me," she said. "I was really young back then, and really shy, too," she added as she observed her younger self flustering in the photo. When Fennekin chipped in, telling her how nothing had changed even now, the honey-haired girl couldn't help but fluster.

"T-That's not true!" Her face could have turned red was she in front of someone else. Fennekin still found herself giggling delightfully at her trainer's reaction.

"Why you have to be like that..." the honey-haired girl murmured, glancing away from the fox Pokémon to the album sitting in her lap. With her cheeks flustered and puffed up in a small pout, she moved on.

With her hands turning pages every so often, she continued to glance at the images that came forth. Her whole childhood glimmering with innocence was safely captured in this album—from her first birthday to her first time trying to ride a Ryhorn, and a lot more. She couldn't help but reminiscence the past, sighing every so often at the memories.

Eventually, she found herself on a section filled with photos she thought she had long forgotten. She breathed in sharply and held the album in her hands as she fell back down on the bed. Fennekin observed the change in the air around her trainer and approached her, but Serena unconsciously brushed off her attempts and turned around, placing the album on the bed and glancing down at it.

Her sweet voice filled the air as she quietly hummed, placing her hand under her chin and moving her legs back and forth in the air. Her face glimmered with delight and lips curved into a smile.

Fennekin once again approached her trainer, this time from a side and glanced down at the album. She saw a sheepish young honey-haired girl, wearing a sundress, wandering in a forest. The fox Pokémon could not recognise it—neither the place nor the memory. She had never seen it before.

"Fenne-kin?" she voiced her curiosity, looking up at her trainer.

"Remember when I told you about a summer camp I attended nearly ten years ago?" Serena glanced down at the fox Pokémon. "These photos are from that camp..."

The fox Pokémon glanced back down at the photos again. Now that she thought about it, the images resembled the details that her trainer had familiarised her with. She knew her trainer was a really shy person from a very young age, but this girl glancing at the camera with a sheepish look was beauty in her own right. The more she thought about it, her eyes grew wider and glimmered with amazement.

"Fenne-kin!" the fox Pokémon voiced her opinion.

Serena giggled and rubbed her starter's head. "Thank you."

Fennekin moaned delightfully as her trainer rubbed her with affection, but her expression drip into oblivion when her eyes caught something. A young honey-haired girl with a straw hat on her head was rubbing her teary eyes while glancing at a young raven-haired boy. There was an evident fear in her eyes while the boy was beaming brightly at her.

"Fenne-kin?" the fox Pokémon inquired, pointing down at the boy with her paw as she looked up at her trainer.

The honey-haired girl glanced down at the photo that Fennekin was pointing at and her gaze become solemn; her mouth opened agape slightly as her shoulder sulked down. Serena sighed in contemplation as she flopped down to her side on the bed. She grabbed a pillow and clenched it tightly against her chest.

Fennekin could only watch as her trainer shut her eyes tightly, her legs swinging back and forth wildly. Fennekin walked to her trainer and nuzzled against her neck. She noticed her trainer relaxing a bit and sighed longingly, a small moan escaping her lips.

"It's..." Her voice muffled in the pillow as she spoke but couldn't bring herself to continue anymore.

Fennekin continued to glance at her trainer while stealing glances at the photo once in a while. She couldn't understand the odd behaviour of her trainer; she couldn't tell if the honey-haired girl was happy, sad, anxious or solemn among many emotions flashing on her features that she could hardly see anymore. Perhaps overwhelmed?

But as she glanced back at the photo one last time, observing a young raven-haired boy beaming brightly, a sense of understanding started dawning on her.

Has her trainer not mentioned this boy to her before?

* * *

When a sensual feeling tickled her nose, she sneezed quietly, waking up from her deep slumber. Her eyes abruptly opened, flickering under the harsh sunlight, and the first thing she noticed was the soft fur of Fennekin's tail in front of her face. She sniffed, slightly rubbing her nose, and noticed the tail moving slowly. When the honey-haired girl glanced down towards her chest, she saw Fennekin snuggling into her belly as she snored peacefully. Her hand was lying over the fox Pokémon, hugging her close securely. The warm body snuggling against her only eased her in the cool spring morning.

Her eyes began to adjust to the light and she finally let Fennekin go. She pushed herself up on the bed, into the sitting position before stretching her arms wide. A soft moan escaped her lips and she sighed, heaving a breath in and out slowly.

A gentle smile swept over features, a refreshing sensation gushing through her. It was a peaceful night for her and she couldn't have agreed more. No stress. No tension. No troubles. No nightmares—

A frown suddenly overlapped her smile and a sharp pang gushed through her head. She winced, biting her lips as she held her head. It stayed momentarily before dissipating in the thin air, and Serena sighed in relief. To say she wasn't traumatised at this point would be an understatement. The flames engulfing a house and painful screams filling her ears were more than enough to horrify her, but it was truly the feeling of anxiety that bewildered her. Every night, she felt like she was right there, right in front of the child that horrified her beyond her imagination.

She sighed again, placing her hand on her chest. Her heart ached and her arms trembled a little, but it took her more than that to calm her down. Even after all these years, she hadn't gotten used to them. Moreover, she wondered where did they come from in the first place.

As Serena prepared to get off the bed, her eyes landed on the watch placed on her study table. She glanced at it intently, reading the time in her mind. Something felt odd to her—09:03 AM it read— and it took her a while to process it but the moment she realised it, that half an hour had already passed since the school started, her mind went blank and a shriek escaped her lips.

"You've got to be kidding me!" The honey-haired girl quickly got up her bed and rushed to the study table. Her hands fumbled through everything placed on it before she finally woke up her laptop and glanced at the screen; it remained saved at where she had left it last night, at the very end of the first assignment.

"No-no-no-no-no-no—" She started squeaking in panic, sweat rolling down her forehead. _This can't be happening to me right now!_ She exclaimed in her head but as the realisation dawned upon her, she lost all her composure and screamed out, "Mom!"

Grace Gabena, a brown-haired woman in her mid-thirties, turned around and glanced up from her work upon listening to her daughter screaming. "What is it?" she yelled back in response from the first floor.

It took a brief moment only, but before she could let the worry overtake her, she heard the sound of footsteps rushing down towards her. A moment later the honey-haired girl stood in front of her mother, eyes wide open, breathing wildly and entire body trembling and covered with sweat; the pink hairband barely kept her messed up hair anymore.

"School started half an hour ago, why didn't you wake me up?" the honey-haired girl screamed before Grace could open her mouth, startling her. "I haven't even finished my assignments yet and today is the last date of submission. And I'm late already too...Oh god, what am I going to do?"

"C-Calm down, Seren—"

"How can I calm down at a time like this? I was already worried about the assignments and I'm running late, too, now! I should have done this already. Oh god, how am I going to even deal with thi—"

"Serena, calm down! At least listen to me first!" Grace interjected suddenly and forced her hands on Serena's shoulders hard. The honey-haired girl lost all her composure and fell back on the couch behind her, her eyes widening and mouth opening agape.

"Everything is fine, you don't have to worry about anything!" Grace wasn't loud, but her words were sharp. Serena stammered as she tried to argue back but Grace interjected again. " I said _everything is fine!_ You don't have to worry, I already handled everything," she added the latter part in a softer voice.

"Y-You did what?" Her eyes widened with surprise and Serena clutched her hands tightly before she realised something. "Wait...what are you even talking about? What do you mean you handled it? How did you even handle it?"

"We have a bigger issue right now that I explained to your principle earlier this morning. You don't have to worry about your school anymore."

"What?"

"That might have come out the wrong way then I intended it to," Grace murmured to herself before glancing up at her daughter and waving her hand in disagreement. "Don't mind it. Moreover, now that you are all up and awake, help me with packing."

"Packing...?" Serena murmured in a low voice before she noticed something odd about her surrounding. In her panic, she hadn't noticed earlier but the room felt very empty. Shelves were emptied and even some of the furniture was missing. The floor was occupied by various boxes filled with decoratives. The room was a complete mess.

"Mom...what is this all about?" the honey-haired girl couldn't help but ask. Only when she turned back to her mother did she realise Grace was also wearing a white bandana covering her head, something that she had ignored before. At this point, she had a rough idea of what was happening, but she refused to believe such a sudden move. "Are we moving?"

As if on cue, two Machoke walked in the room unannounced, a man following behind them. They walked to an emptied shelf before picking it up from either side. The man began guiding the two Superpower Pokémon and led them outside. Serena stared at them with a dumbfounded expression until they disappeared from her sight before a low sound of murmuring broke her trance. She looked up at her mother right in time as she sighed tiredly and glanced back at her.

"Yes, we are moving," Grace replied with a tired smile.

"But...why?" Serena couldn't help but ask. "And why so suddenly?" she added as she stood back up.

"There was an urgent call," Grace said in a low voice. "But you don't have to worry about anything. I will explain it to you later when I have free time. Right now, I want you to help me out. You can go ahead and freshen up, I will prepare breakfast for you in the meantime."

"But mom..." Serena hesitated. She placed a hand on her heart and stepped forward. "...I just don't understand. Why do we have to move so suddenly? What about my school? And my friends too? I-Isn't it just too sudden? And...and what about transferring to another school? The academic year will end in a few months anyway so can't we just postpone it?"

There was a sudden change in her mother's mood as she stared at the honey-haired girl morosely, contemplating, and a brief silence filled the air in the room. Serena brought her hands down and behind her back, twiddling her fingers together. _Did I say something wrong?_ The honey-haired girl couldn't help but wonder, her chest heaving in and out slowly. _Maybe if I apologize—_

It was very rare thought that crossed her mind as she timidly averted her gaze to her feet, finding a sudden interest in the floor. Even if she wondered that, her mother's expression wasn't anything usual to her. If anything, it was the first time she had seen her mother like this at all. Anxious, a little bit angry maybe, but there was a hint of fear in her eyes as well. For a moment, she thought she was delusioned but a corner of her mind screamed to believe her intuition. In the end, she could not stop feeling apprehensive.

"Our flight is later tonight so we have a lot of time for now," Grace began with a heavy sigh. "I have been packing since last night and the moving company was informed urgently too. Over half of the work is done so you don't have to worry too much about helping me either..." Grace paused momentarily, eyeing her daughter earnestly. At least, Serena thought it was an earnest gaze. Moreover, as she looked at her mother and recalled her words, she realised there were dark circles under her mother's eyes, the kind she had rarely seen. She couldn't help but wonder, _at least that explains why she looks so tired..._

While Serena found herself lost in her trance, she did not notice when Grace stepped in front of her. She only realised it when her mother placed her hands on her shoulder. "You can have the whole evening for yourself...to let your friends know and say goodbye," she said in a sincere tone before she suddenly pulled her daughter into an embrace.

Serena was surprised, to say the least. She hadn't expected such a move from her mother and upon feeling those arms trembling slightly against her, she was more confused than before. "Mom..." she couldn't help but whisper out, her arms slowly reaching around her mother's neck in a rather unusual affectionate moment. She still did not understand what was happening or why it was happening, but the least she could do was let her mother worry less. For now at least. Even if she couldn't accept anything at all, she herself needed time to process everything, and she could bother her mother later as much as she would like to. Then there were also her friends that she needed to face later today.

"Mom," Serena murmured in a soft voice and her mother hummed in response. "Where exactly are we moving to?"

"Pallet Town."

The response was more shocking than she could have contemplated.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N:**

 **Hey, everyone. I am certainly pleased to see the support this story has received so far. Honestly, I thought it would do better than this, but this wasn't bad either counting the fact that my timing was wrong to publish it.**

 **Anyway, here is the second chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

"We have arrived at our destination. Thanks for traveling with us. We hope to see you again."

A loud voice ringed through the speaker as Serena started to unbuckle the safety belts hooked around her. Her mother stood up and brought their bags down. Serena quickly grabbed hers and hung it over her shoulders as the two started to make their way out of their flight. They walked down the stairs and walked to the airport. Serena briefly turned around and saw some more passengers walking down the stairs. She turned back to her mother.

"Mom? Why did we use the civilian flight?"

Grace glanced at her daughter from the corner of her eyes and smiled. "We had a lot of stuff to move in," she replied. But Serena wasn't convinced from the response. She knew that their belongings have been sent away a few hours before their departure from Kalos. There was no way it could be the reason. Grace seemed to notice it as well. "Let's just say I wasn't feeling like flying alone," she said.

"Um, okay," mumbled Serena. Though she was still unconvinced she decided to let it go. It wasn't a big deal to her after all. Grace glanced at her daughter again and frowned. She did not mean to lie to Serena, but she did not have any choice. The less Serena knew about it the better it was for her. She did not want Serena to be in danger when she has no involvement in the event.

The two walked through the airport and stopped briefly only for Grace to book a cab. They collected their belongings that they brought with them, that was a few suitcases and walked out. The sun was shining bright, emitting a lot of warmth. But the cool wind blowing by was always soothing her body. Kanto has a distinct aroma of sweetness into it. Serena could not help but felt excited to be here again.

No sooner their cab arrived and the two climbed in. It was rather difficult for them to move in their big suitcases but they anyhow managed it. The cab started to move and Serena was feeling oriented. Her eyes were fixed on the window as she took the sight in. It was an empty place but that was until they entered in the Pallet Town officially. Her eyes widened and a broad smile took over as she glanced at the sight. A lot of shops, broad and clean roads, the trees planted on the footpath at a constant distance, and on the top of that the tall buildings towering everything. The sight was almost overwhelming to her mainly because it was something she wasn't expecting. The town has changed drastically over the past decade. What she used to remember as a small, peaceful town was a grand city now. She nearly confused it as Lumiose City for a moment. Perhaps, it was grander than Lumiose itself.

Grace glanced at Serena and smiled at her reaction.

"It is amusing, isn't it?" she said.

Serena turned to Grace and nodded as she hummed. "It is," she replied. She once again turned to look out from the window as she continued, "I wasn't expecting the change to be so big."

"I know how you feel," said Grace.

Serena merely paid any attention to her mother as they moved. There was merely traffic despite being the roads filled with different vehicles. "It's so exciting!" she squealed.

* * *

"Serena? Are you coming or what?" Grace called aloud.

"Coming mom!" Serena yelled back as she walked down the stairs. She has changed into her casual clothes consisting of a white sleeveless blouse that was going down her waist, cut into several diamonds like structure. Then there was a skirt consisting of two different shades overlaying each other. They were coming out from beneath her blouse in such a fashion it looked like they were somehow joint. She also has white stockings that ended up slightly below her knees while her hair was bouncing freely over her shoulders. There was a big, round hat in her hands with a yellow strip over it. Serena made her way to her mother who was waiting for her.

"Took you long enough," said Grace before opening the door. Serena placed her hat over her head, placed her feet in the shoes before walking out of the house. Grace followed her daughter and stopped momentarily to lock the door behind. As they walk out Ryhorn gave a cry in their direction. "We will be back soon, Ryhorn," said Grace and smiled at her Pokemon. "Keep an eye on the house, will you?" she said.

"Rhy!" replied Ryhorn in agreement. With a satisfied smile, Grace continued to walk with Serena by her side.

"So, where are we going mom?" asked Serena curiously as the two walked.

"We need to run some errands of the house, Serena," explained her mother. "We have just moved in and we don't have anything at all," she said.

"Okay," nodded Serena in understanding. "But why are you wearing that, a little fancy outfit?" asked Serena as she looked up and down at her mother.

"Well," started Grace and smiled, "Shouldn't we have a special dinner on our first day here?"

Serena's eyes sparkled on hearing that. She has absolutely no idea that her mother was planning to go out for the dinner tonight. Nor that she was complaining. But it was a surprise anyway, she couldn't be happier.

"It will be amazing, mom. Thank you!" squealed the young teenager.

* * *

"Dinner was good, wasn't it?" questioned the brunette lady.

"Yes. It was really delicious!" Serena replied excitedly. She has to admit, the dinner she has tonight was the best one ever. Kanto has some amazing cooks and dishes. She had missed them so much that she did not even remember how good it tasted. It was a good change for her, rather than normal Kalos food once in a while.

Right now the girl was happily walking on the streets of Pallet Town. They were in the city, more specifically downtown. They recently have their dinner and after getting some necessary errands done, the two were finally heading home. Serena has a bag clenched against her chest and arms wrapped around it while Grace has a bag hanging down in her hands. The night has been so blissful so far that Serena was walking rather carelessly which was worrying Grace as well.

But she knew Serena could handle herself. She was an unnatural girl after all.

"Oh no!" said Grace suddenly and stopped in her tracks. Serena stopped as well and turned to her mother.

"What happened mom?" she asked.

"I forgot something really important," she said, her voice sounded panicked. She then glanced at her daughter with an apologetic look. "Sweetie, can you wait here for me? I will be back soon, I promise," she said and proceeded to hand over her bags to Serena. Serena just stared at her mother as she received the bags from her and she started to walk away. "I will be back right away! Stay here!" she said loudly.

"Ok…" mumbled Serena and let out a long sigh. It would be a lie if she said that she wasn't upset. She wasn't looking forward to that, her mother to abandon her like that. She knew she was old enough now to take care of herself, but she couldn't help but feel bad. She pouted in annoyance before turning around and walking away.

Her mother has told her to stay, but she wasn't planning to stay now. Not at this creepy place.

As she thought about it, she looked around and noticed that the place was literally pretty much creepy. She was still in the middle of the city, but it did not make this place any less, safer if she would want to describe it in one word. After all, every big city has some places like this.

And her thoughts proved to be true when some thugs, who were apparently observing her and her mother for a while, started to follow her.

And Serena happened to notice them as well.

A frown acquired her face. She wasn't expecting it at all. Her mother's words started to ring in her head again.

If only she wasn't _stupid_ enough to deny her mother!

But stopping now would not help her. She has walked away quite some distance at where her mother left her. She could not return. Serena's eyes furrowed lightly and she clenched the bag closer to her chest. She looked around and noticed that there was literally barely anyone around. She couldn't even ask for help. Her eyes lowered as she heard the footsteps nearing her. She was in a desperate and dire need of help. And nobody was around.

Serena's feet started to move quickly in an attempt to flee. But as her pace increased so does the thugs' and no sooner she found herself running away.

Serena took the very first turn she noticed ahead, expecting to escape from the route. So she took that way and broke into a run. Only a few seconds later she realized that it was an alley and she was standing in front of a dead end.

"You got to be kidding me," mumbled Serena desperately.

Serena took a few steps back and turned around. But before she could even take a single step, she saw the thugs entering the alley as well. On noticing that she has no way out, a smugly smirk acquired their faces.

"Look," said one of them. Even if his voice was soft, calmed and composed, it was still venomously to her. "What have we got here?"

"A fine piece indeed," said another, checking her out. His eyes, however, stayed down at her legs longer. Serena took a step back, her fingers were twiddling together in fear. She was nowhere near her comforting zone with those thugs checking her out like that. Sweet was drooling down her face as her eyes stared at them fearfully. It was one of those moments when she hoped to have Fennekin most by her side. Unfortunately, she decided to leave it home for the night.

The thugs took more steps closer to her, and Serena took steps back, no sooner finding her back against the wall.

She was scared, alone and no one around to help, and cornered in an alley by some thugs who, god knows what they were going to do with her. But her heart was still beating in a steady stance. It wasn't affected by the events as much as she expected it to be. She felt like something was keeping her reassured, even at this darkest corner. And slowly, very, very slowly, her heart beat started to increase. A presence was healing her, comforting her, and reassuring her.

She could feel the burning desire into it, a heated flame between the sheer waves of water. She could feel it. And before those thugs could take another step forward, out of nowhere came a water blob and struck over the thugs' feet, stopping them dead on the track.

Surprised and shocked, the thugs looked up at her, who was as surprised as Serena was.

Serena glanced above her head and saw something hovering above her. It was small and its face was mostly covered by something like it was intentionally keeping its identity secure. But despite it, she could easily tell what it was. Being a native of Kalos for such a long time she has learned a lot about the regional Pokemon.

The thugs looked up at the Pokemon who landed in front of them. The thugs greeted their teeth in annoyance as the Pokemon got into the battle stance, intending to guard the young girl.

"Alright pal, you have messed with us for the last time!" said one of the thugs and threw a Pokeball at its direction. Out of it came a Pokemon that looked like a lantern. Its head was spherical and head contained bluish purple flame. Its eyes were oval shaped and yellow in color, and fierce too. On top of its head was a lampshade like covering with a pointed spike on top of it and the bottom of its body. Two long wavy arms were extending from its body with no fingers at all.

A heavy gust of breeze blew as the lamp Pokemon floated in the air. Its appearance wasn't much deceiving, that's what Serena thought momentarily until its eyes narrowed and a ghostly aura surrounded it. She clenched the shopping bag tighter against her chest and shrunk down under its fierce and deadly glance.

"Use shockwave, Lampet!" commanded the thug.

The ominous Pokemon narrowed its eyes further as its body started to get electrocuted on its own. It gathered the energy quickly and aimed it at the masked Pokemon. The masked Pokemon jumped out of the way as the electricity stroke the ground dead on. The masked Pokemon prepared another water blob into its small paws and fired it at the Lantern Pokemon.

"Dodge it!" commanded the thug. The lantern Pokemon floated out of the way just in time as the water blob passed through them. Its trainer has to duck down to dodge it, and it annoyed him greatly. "Watch your step you idiot!" he scolded his Pokemon coldly. The Lantern Pokemon merely responded to him and once again prepared a shockwave to strike the mysterious Pokemon with.

The mysterious Pokemon reached to its neck and grabbed the material covering its face, before throwing it at the opposing Pokemon. It successfully hit the ghost Pokemon and Lampet was pushed back, making it momentarily stunned and it canceled the move.

"That's enough!" shouted the thug. "Use flamethrower at it!" he commanded ruthlessly. He has no compassion for the Pokemon that was saving the young girl, but he felt envious of its power and courage. It was something should belong to him.

The flames flared up and Lampet fired it at the mysterious Pokemon. The mysterious Pokemon opened its mouth and shot water bubbles. With the high intensity, the move canceled the flamethrower amidst but created a lot of mist, which in turn blinded it momentarily and it started to cough.

"Now! Shockwave!" yelled the thug again.

Lampet quickly charged itself before shooting the high volts of electricity towards the mysterious Pokemon. The move was sudden and completely took Serena's savior off guard. It was a direct hit and the electricity surged through it as a huge amount of pain took over. It let out a loud screech and its body fell down on the ground. The thugs smirked.

"Good job, boss," said one of the thugs.

The trainer of the Lampet smirked in a smugly fashion before grabbing a Pokeball. "This will ought to teach you not to interfere in other's business," he spoke and threw the Pokeball towards the weakened Pokemon. Serena's eyes widened on realizing what was happening. That thug was about to capture that Pokemon who was trying to save her. It was hurt because it was fighting for her. And now it lost. It was about to get captured by that man. And she couldn't think but worry for it and her own safety.

 _What would happen to it now? What would happen to me now?_

The Pokeball was sailing fast towards it and was about to capture it. And then the inevitable happened. The Pokeball finally made contact with the poor Pokemon.

But it never caught it.

The thugs' eyes narrowed in confusion and before they knew, the Pokeball shattered into pieces. What stood there instead was a glowing fist of the Pokemon. Their eyes widened at the sight.

Panting heavily, the mysterious Pokemon forced itself up in a standing position again before getting into the battle stance. It wasn't ready to give up easily. The thug greeted his teeth in annoyance.

"I will make you pay for this!" he exclaimed angrily and moved his hand forward. "Lampet! Shockwave!" he commanded.

The ghost Pokemon once again charged itself before launching a powerful wave of electricity towards the mysterious Pokemon. It was weak and barely standing. The attack made a direct contact and the mysterious Pokemon let out a loud and painful scream. The mask covering it destroyed as well. The thug smirked, believing that he has finally taught a lesson to this Pokemon. But to his and everyone else's surprise, when Lampet stopped, it was still standing still. Its body was completely covered with bruises and burnt marks but it's will to fight was still untouchable.

"What in the hell?"

It glanced at the Lampet with its eyes burning with rage. Its fist glowed again and it fearlessly charged itself towards the ghost Pokemon. Its whole body was hurting. Electricity was surging through it as well. But it did not stop. Swaying in the air, it prepared its fist before going down at the Lampet. Completely surprised, Lampet could not dodge the incoming attack and ended up taking it head on.

Lampet flew back and past its trainer before crashing into the wall. Pain surged through it as it found itself vulnerable to move anymore. This, however, did not calm down the enraged Pokemon who then glared at the thugs with its fierce gaze. Lampet's trainer took a step back fearfully. The Pokemon did not stop. Its fist glowed again and it charged itself forward. The thug's eyes widened on realizing what was happening. This Pokemon wasn't some weakling he thought he could beat. It's fierce gaze and madness drove over it as it finally decided to go after these ruthless humans.

What it forgot that it was still affected by the effects of the shockwave.

Electricity started to show its effect on the small body of the mysterious Pokemon who felt its body getting numb. It tried to fight back against the effects of paralysis but it did not help. Instead, it felt itself getting under the spell of it more deeply. The more it moved, the more it felt itself getting numb. And as it soared through the air, it finally landed in front of the thug, helplessly.

It glanced up at the man who eyed it carefully before smirking. Now that he knew that this Pokemon was harmless after suffering from paralysis, he spat at it. Moving his leg backward, he ruthlessly kicked the poor Pokemon, and rather harshly too. It crashed against the ground several times before stopping in front of Serena, who was watching everything with wide eyes.

The moment it lost, she lost to herself. Tears filled her eyes and she found herself vulnerable, now in their grasp. She could do nothing, to save herself or to save this Pokemon. She was too weak to do anything. And now fear was consuming her too. She stopped thinking rationally. She did not know any way to save herself and this Pokemon. She was trapped.

 _If only I would have listened to mom._

"Very well," mumbled the thug before looking over at Serena who was nearly crying now. He smirked along with the others. He knew he was the victor and there was no one to save Serena either. He tilted his head, eyeing the young girl from top to bottom. Lecherous thoughts filled his head for the girl. But as he glanced down, his eyes spotted the paralyzed Pokemon. It was badly beaten up but his will was still as strong as ever. Even in such state, it was still determined to protect the girl. His lips curved into a devious smirk.

"Lampet. Bring it to me," spoke the man coldly.

The ghost Pokemon that was dug deep within the wall opened its eyes and stared straight at the weak body of the defeated Pokemon. A ghostly aura surrounded it and it levitated out of the wall. It hovered next to its trainer before shutting its eyes close. Its body started to shine pink as it concentrated its mind. A similar aura surrounded the mysterious Pokemon before it started hovering in the air. Its body moved towards the man who glanced at it evilly.

"Beat it up," he commanded calmly.

That command was all it needed before the ghost Pokemon opened its eyes, still narrowed and glared at the Pokemon. It started to cry loudly from the pain it was receiving as its body started to press altogether. Its screech startled Serena as well who dropped the bag she was holding and covered her ears. Tear flow down her eyes and she ducked down against the fence she was supported by. Her ears could not help but caused her pain too.

The Pokemon was brutally injured, beaten up and seemed like out of its breath too. But it did not show any sign of accepting its defeat.

"Stubborn, aren't you?" said the man and placed his hands inside the pockets. The Pokemon merely grunted, which appeared like a smirk. The man sighed. "Flamethrower, Lampet," he said his final command.

Lampet dropped the Pokemon before concentrating flames in front of it. It was huge, fierce and was ready to burn down the Pokemon in front of it. Its intensity was too high to ignore, just too much to ignore that even a certain someone felt it. And right when Lampet was about to launch the deadly flamethrower at the mysterious Pokemon, who closed its eyes as if accepting its fate, a wooden log appeared out of nowhere and headed towards Lampet with critical velocity. The ghost Pokemon sensed it and quickly looked into the direction before launching the flamethrower into its direction. The fierce flames engulfed the wooden log and continued. It continued in the direction of Serena whose eyes widened in shock. Everyone turned to her and looked in shock as the deadly flamethrower moved towards Serena.

Serena knew it was it. She knew there was no way for her to survive this deadly attack. She knew she was about to die a death that she didn't even deserve.

Just as the flamethrower was about to engulf Serena, a voice of shoes grinding against the ground was heard. Serena's eyes opened and looked forward again, this time to her greatest surprise, someone was standing there in the middle of her and the flames. Its presence was fierce, like flames, probably, even harsher than what was coming towards it. The figure brought it's both hands closer as the flames engulfed him into it.

At least that's what everyone thought.

Serena witnessed an unnatural phenomenon happening in front of her eyes.

Instead of burning it down, which she assumed to be a human, the flames were blocked by it. It was pushed back slightly but keeping the footing straight it stopped the flames amidst. Something around its neck, seemingly a pendant, started shining brightly before her savior compressed the flames into a ball of flame. It did not even think twice before throwing the ball towards the ghost Pokemon which easily dodged it. But it would be a lie to say that it wasn't shocked to witness something like that either.

Its hands were covered in flames as it stopped and stood straight. It started to clap its hands together and successfully killed the rest of the flames that had covered his hands.

The event took place so fast that nobody got to see everything. But now that Serena was assured that she was safe, momentarily, she glanced at her savior. As she glanced at it with her teary eyes and she realized that indeed it was a human. She took a good look of its dress. It consisted of blue shorts that end up down his knees and a red short sleeved jacket. Its head was covered in a cap and hands in gloves, seemingly the same material that caught fire during his counter against the Lampet.

 _It was a boy!_

And noticing his body structure, he would not be too older than her. Perhaps, he was the same age as her. Her eyes just shimmered as she stared at him unsure of what to do or even think.

The thugs also seemed to be shocked before but slowly started returning to their full consciousness. They were somewhat shaken but decided to go against this feeling.

"How dare-"

"Leave," he said in a cold and sharp voice. His voice confirmed her suspicion that he was not too old.

"W-What did you say?!"

"This girl," he said and raised his left hand pointing towards Serena and continued, "and that Pokemon," he said and pointed towards the Pokemon that was lying in front of the thug, completely beaten up and now barely conscious. "They will stay here," he finished.

"How dare you speak to our boss like that!" shouted one of the thug.

The boy did not even flinch from his voice. He took a deep and audible breath. "I am not going to repeat. Leave that Pokemon and this girl alone. Or else you are going to get a rough night of your life tonight," he said.

"Damn you bastard!" yelled the trainer of the Lampet. "Lampet, use flamethrower on him!" he shouted angrily.

Lampet, which was seemingly frozen before shook its head and fired a fiery breath towards the boy. The boy did not even flinch as the flames proceeded towards him.

"Look out!" yelled Serena suddenly out of her consciousness. She could not help but worry for him. She did not want him to end up like that Pokemon too.

But even her words did not flinch him. Instead, he decided to take the flames head on. As the flames neared him, he raised his right hand and quickly slammed it down on the ground. Whether it was the gush of the wind or his bare arm, the flames were redirected downwards before hitting the ground and disappearing.

The thugs' eyes widened in shock and horror as they witnessed another unnatural phenomenon happening. Even Serena was shocked.

 _It can't be happening right now._

The thugs greeted their teeth angrily now realizing that they had no chance against this boy. They quickly grabbed the unconscious body of the beaten Pokemon before breaking into a run.

"Wait!" the boy yelled dangerously behind them and rushed after them. However, he briefly stopped and glanced at the girl behind him. Serena was still shaken up. All she needed right now was to be with her mother again. Her eyes were stained and red. Horror had struck her badly. She was truly petrified. "Go back home, girl," mumbled the boy. Before Serena could acknowledge his words, he disappeared suddenly in the thin air. She could not help but stare around, looking for him but she could not find him.

Her savior was gone.

* * *

Serena let out a long sigh out of appeasement. She stretched her arms wide before resting them beside her on the bed. Her eyes were heavy but she did not feel like sleeping already. Her mind was still occupied with the pictures of the events from the earlier that night.

 _"That guy,"_ she thought, specifically thinking about that person, her savior tonight. She still did not know what she should exactly think about him. He might have saved her, but he could not be said any different from those peoples. And it seemed like he just happened to have some personal issue with them. He was after that Pokemon those people had. _"Poor thing,"_ Serena thought sadly, pitying the poor Pokemon. She has no idea what that guy was going to do with it after getting it. And sadly, she could do nothing about it either.

She later walked out of that alley and rushed to the place where she had come from. Luckily her mother hadn't arrived yet and she used that time to take care of her ruined face. She did not want her mother to be suspicious. She hadn't even told anything to her. She knew she would be worried. She did not want her mother to worry about it.

Serena let out a long sigh out of contemplation as her thoughts drifted in another direction.

Serena brought her hands up in front of her face and stared at the small blue-white piece of cloth that was tied around her left wrist. All her previous thoughts vanished away and her lips curved into a soft smile. It was rather weird for her to be honest; she has never felt such longed to have something.

 _Oh, just how badly I want to see you again._

It has been over ten years now. She wondered if he even remembered her. She did not expect him to but hoped that he would. After all, they were not just an ordinary pair of friends that could be found anywhere. They were almost inspirable. She could not help but think how they would have been doing if they haven't been separated?

And this led to another thought.

Why did they have to separate at first place? She never learned or heard it from her mother.

Serena turned to her left side and placed her hands in front of her face. The handkerchief was right next to her, touching her softly. Its scent was too good to ignore, even after all these years. She found herself losing into her previous thoughts again. The soft furry substance was tickling her and she could not hold herself back from letting out a soft giggle. And then, she pulled her left hand against her chest and hugged it tightly, keeping that handkerchief close to her heart. She had unknowingly developed such a deep affection towards that small piece of cloth; she could not even describe it. All she knew was that it now meant to her more than her own life and its true owner even more than that.

His presence, she could feel it like he was right next to her. She has never missed him before as much as she was missing him now. Probably because she was too busy to even think about him back then. But now with the chance of seeing him again, being next to him again and rekindling their _inspirable_ friendship again, she found herself desperate more than ever. And being in the same town as him, so close yet so apart, she was dying to see him again now, literally.

Serena closed her eyes, and just before going deep into her beautiful slumber said, "Soon. I am going to see you again."

* * *

Serena let out a long sigh and stretched her arms wide. Her lips were curved into a broad smile as she rested her hands on the bed, in front of her face. A pink bow band was keeping her hairs straight. She has just woken up and never has she felt so good before. Her night yesterday has been the best so far. She has never slept so peacefully before. She just did not want to wake up. But remembering where she was now and how many changes she was going to face, for good or bad, she had to wake up, nor that it wasn't exciting.

She climbed down from the bed and walked towards the window. She glanced down and noticed that the Ryhorn was pushing some big rocks out of the backyard using its horn. Suddenly she felt a presence above her, followed by an overjoyed chirp. The tiny bird Pokemon landed on her shoulder.

"Fletch-Fletchling!" the tiny bird Pokemon let out a soft cry.

"Morning Fletchling," Serena giggled and rubbed its chin. "So you are enjoying it in Pallet too, aren't you now?"

"Fletchling!" the bird Pokemon cried in agreement and extended its wings wide.

Serena turned around and walked back to the bed. She sat next to Fennekin, who was sleeping peacefully. She had let it out later in the middle of the night for some reasons.

She let out a long sigh.

She could still hear workers moving in and out of the house as they shifted their belongings into their new house in Pallet Town. Her mother's voice could be heard too. A breeze blew by causing Serena's hair to fly into the direction through her face. She tugged her hair around her ear, her smile never leaving. The more she thought about it, more excited she was feeling.

She was in Pallet finally. It was like a much-awaited dream to her. Not only the place was as pleasant as it was before she left, it was developed too now. Their house was situated on the outskirts of the town, a place possibly still unaffected by the crazy rate of development in the town. It was grand in central town, but it was much better on the outskirts. There was no traffic, no noise, just a peaceful house in the neighborhood.

But it was never the reason for her happiness.

"Finally," mumbled Serena and placed her hand over her heart. An image from her past flashed in her eyes, remembering that cheeky grin, messy hair, and auburn eyes.

 _Just how much have I missed you?_

"And now, I can't wait to see you again."

* * *

 **And here you have another chapter. So here I am again with another announcement regarding the updates. Initially, I had no idea for the length of the chapters and I still don't have it. However, I have now decided to keep them short and simple mostly. If there will be some serious issue or event coming in the future of the story, I will make the chapters lengthy. Until then you can expect the average chapter length to be around 3K or 5K at most. Will that be a fine length? Let me know that.**

 **As for the question asked by LEGAL-EAGLE53:**

I was initially planning to answer you in PM, but then I thought many of you might be wondering same. The truth is that I was initially planning to not introduce Wilson, Serena's father, but I have come a long way with the story plot now and I have a good idea on where to introduce him. Also, we have seen that Serena and Grace don't really have any sort of similar physical composition. That actually mean she is basically following her father. And I will portray him, physically, on that regard. I still haven't planned on how exactly he will look like but he will have a lot of physical similarities with Serena. I hope that helped.

 **Also, if possible, please check out my YouTube channel "StreetRacer Sam". I have made several AMVs and I would be glad if you check them out and let me know how are they. Please check them out. I will be counting on you.**

 **And now I am done. Free feel to leave any thought you have in the review section. Let me know if there is some kind of misunderstanding you are having in the story. I will gladly answer you, but if I don't then you will have to understand that it might spoil the story for you. As always, leave a review it means a lot. So I will see you next time. Stay tuned.**

 **Sam.**


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N:**

 **Hey, everyone. I am back with another update for you. Somehow, I managed to seize some time to continue this fiction, which I am absolutely in love with as well. And here you have it. Another chapter. So, this is the chapter we have been waiting for such a long time. Finally, Ash and Serena are going to reunite here.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

The morning was peaceful and so was the environment surrounding a certain girl. Serena was seemingly surprised. The place she was living with her eyes currently was comparatively not on the par with the massive city she has visited yesterday in the department of development. That doesn't mean it wasn't developed either. The place was rather peaceful and calm. In the morning breeze, a lot of Pokemon were wandering around. She momentarily thought that she was living in Vaniville town.

Grace volunteered Serena to drop her to her new school. However, when the school was in their sight Serena insisted on going alone. Despite several pleas from her mother she did not listen and managed to get out of the car. She had changed into a fresh set of clothes for the first day of her school. That consisted of a red skirt that tucked a black sleeveless blouse. She had a pair of black stockings that went up to her knees and black shoes. To finish her look she was wearing round pink hat with a black strip over it placed on her head. Her long honey blonde hair was tied from the bottom and two bangs were swaying down her shoulders from either side of her face. A pink bag was hung on her shoulder and was slightly bouncing as she walked joyfully.

Her eyes were scanning the beauty of her surrounding as if they were intending to soak all of it at once. Pallet Town has gone through a drastic transformation and she couldn't complain, but what had kept this place as a special memory was its beauty that she longed to relive in.

Serena was finally walking over the concrete path next to a long wall to her right. As she neared the end of it, she noticed that there was an entrance ahead. Her eyes shifted upwards and she took a brief glimpse of the building she was going to study in.

 _Kanto High was the name, wasn't it?_

Her eyes shimmered beautifully on the sight and she stopped momentarily, glancing at the school building.

"I'm finally here," she squealed and clapped her hands together. "It's just so exciting!" she twirled around over her feet joyfully. Her excitement and joy were at their peak and momentarily blinded her.

Literally.

Serena did not notice someone running in her direction, rather in a rush. The sound of his footstep brought her back to senses and she stopped. But by the time she looked over at him, it was already too late. In an attempt to not bump into Serena the boy tried to move out of the way. However, as he neared her, he felt his left foot losing its grip and he tripped over. Time seemed to slow down for the two as they briefly glance at each other. Her sapphire blue eyes glanced into his auburn eyes over the glasses he was wearing. His hair was covered in a red baseball cap. He was wearing a white lab coat and his hands were clenching against his chest tightly.

In the brief and dreamy glance towards Serena, he did not realize that he was falling down. But when he did, he realized something more important. He was strictly told to not let a single scratch near the egg he was holding in his arms, that was placed safely in a container. Instinctively, he clutched the container tighter against his chest and turned around. He fell on his back.

For a moment nobody said anything. Serena was still lost into her own world, thinking about something out of her consciousness. However, when she heard a light groan coming from the boy she came back on earth.

"That hurts," the boy mumbled as he gritted his teeth in an attempt to ease up the pain.

Realizing the situation, Serena quickly rushed towards the boy and leaned over him. "Are you okay?" she asked. Concern was evident in her voice as she stared at the boy who was slowly sitting up.

He did not seem to acknowledge her presence up until now and when he briefly glanced at her concerned face, he was surprised. It lived very short as a ring was heard soon. A panicked look came over his face and he quickly rushed up.

"Damn it! I am gonna be late!" the boy said worriedly and started running away again. He nearly slipped again but this time maintained his footing and continued on his path. Before Serena could register everything, he disappeared inside the school building.

Serena brought her hand to her face and scratched her cheek. "Well, that was strange," she mumbled before shrugging it off and continuing on her way to the school. The more steps she took, the more excited she felt. Finally, she was about to become a part of a new world.

* * *

Serena stepped down the long hallway of the school. Following the directions, she was making her way to the Principal Office. Her eyes lit up with excitement when she saw the room at some distance. She quickened her pace and rushed towards it. As she neared the office she noticed someone coming out from the room. It was a boy. As she observed him closely she noticed his facial features as well. His hair was brown and was standing up naturally. He was wearing a black T-Shirt and light purple shade of trouser.

"Yeah. I got that," he spoke. He has a somewhat bitter smile with his words.

"Don't take it too hard. Remember, you were to one who decided to volunteer for it," a new voice spoke. It was a little more elderly from what Serena could assume. But she could not see the occupant as he was standing inside to room.

The boy merely acknowledged those words as he turned around and made his way away, towards her. His eyes were mostly staring down but when she neared him, he looked up and briefly glanced at her. Serena could not help but saw him too, a face that she found somewhat familiar but could not recall at the moment. However, the boy paid her no acknowledgment and passed her without a word. Serena did glance at him as he walked past her but then continued on her way. She stopped when she was standing outside the room. The door was open. She knocked it.

"Uh, may I come in?" she said in a polite voice but somehow it was nervous too, so was she.

"Sure," she heard the same voice repeating. She noticed an old man, probably in his fifties, looking for a book on a shelf as he spoke to her. On his acknowledgment, Serena walked inside. Her eyes glanced at every corner of the room. There was a red mattress below her and the walls were painted bright white. There was a broad table which has a desktop on one side. On the other side were placed several files and a stamp. There were a few accessories too.

Serena turned back to the old man once again. "Professor, I am here to take admission in your school. I'm a newly transferred student," she said.

On listening to her, the old man finally turned to her. His eyes stared at her briefly before he realized who he was seeing. His eyes lit up with excitement. "Serena? Is that you?" he spoke, his voice sounded joyous. Serena was initially surprised at how this man knew her. "You have grown a lot since the last time I saw you," the man continued.

 _Wait a minute…_

"Professor Oak? Is that you?" Serena finally realized who she was seeing. Now that she remembered, she recalled that he was the man she used to visit most considering the fact that she met her childhood friend at his place every time.

"Of course, it is me," replied the old man humbly.

"Oh my god! It has been such a long time. I can't believe I forgot you," said Serena with an inevitable surprised gasp. She was literally surprised and her expression was completely showing it. Professor Oak simply laughed at her reaction. "How have you been?" she asked.

"I am fine, my girl," replied the old Professor. "How is your mother?" he asked.

"She is good too," replied Serena.

"So you said you are taking admission here?" asked Professor Oak as he walked towards her and stopped in front of her. Serena simply nodded her head in response. "I talked to your mother already. I was expecting you," said Professor. Serena's expression changed suddenly in confusion. She wasn't expecting this. "Although, as the Principal of the school, I am still bound to fulfill some formalities," the old Professor said.

On realizing what Professor Oak meant, Serena reached for her bag. She opened it and drew some papers out. It was her admission form and transfer certificate. She quickly handed it to the professor.

"Ah, yes. Smart girl, aren't you?" Professor commented and took the papers from the young girl. Serena smiled sheepishly in response. "Well. Now that you are officially a student here, I would like you to attend your first class," he said.

"Yes, Professor," she replied joyfully.

Right the moment later, a knock was heard. Serena quickly turned around and Professor Oak looked over her head. There was a woman standing there behind them at the door. She was wearing a long white lab coat over a white blouse and green office skirt that ended above her knees. She was also wearing white tennis shoes with a broad red strip over it. Her hair was light brown in shade and eyes were green.

"Professor Oak, it is here," the woman said in a soft voice.

"Ah. Yes. I will be there in a moment," said Professor and then turned to Serena. "Serena, meet Professor Aurea Juniper. She is your new homeroom teacher," said Professor Oak.

Serena quickly turned to the woman who also looked back at her. A smile came over her lips as she recognized the girl she was seeing. "You must be Serena. I was told that you will be coming," said Professor Juniper.

"Um, it is nice to meet you, Professor Juniper," said Serena politely and bowed her head with hands clasped together in front of her.

"Serena, please follow Aurea and she will guide you to your new class," he said and placed the papers on the table. "I am afraid I will have to part with you here. But if you ever need something, please, don't hesitate and come visit me."

"Yes, Professor," she said. She then turned around and faced her new homeroom teacher.

"Follow me, please," she said with a polite smile and begun to walk out. Serena quickly followed her out. When the two females left, Professor Oak rechecked the papers that Serena had given to him not so long ago. Briefly, his eyes narrowed as he inspected a certain column on it. He smiled softly.

"Interesting," he said to himself in a low voice. He then sighed and placed it back on his table before walking out of his room. He closed the door behind and briefly glanced at Professor Juniper walking with Serena following her. He turned to the opposite direction and walked away.

Serena has her eyes glancing at every corner of the corridor she was walking in. They have just taken a different turn and Serena made a mental note of it for the future reference. Her eyes briefly glanced at the display boards where she noticed several photographs of the students from different clubs. As she glanced at the few names, she realized that some of them weren't entirely official, but has been made official out of huge demand. She couldn't help but wondered how amazing this school is. She felt even excited to be here finally. As they advanced further into the next wing she noticed different lockers on the either sides of the corridor. She could see a few students making their way out of there and to their classes. Professor stopped briefly in front of one locker. She glanced at her hand and it was the first time that Serena noticed she has keys with her all along. Professor Juniper glanced at the number and then at the locker, before smiling in satisfaction as they matched. She used the key to open the locker and then turned to Serena.

"It is all yours now. You can set it up as you may wish," Professor Juniper said. "As usual, the locker works on the code, but if you somehow miss it, don't bother and contact me. This key I have is generally used in an emergency," she explained.

Serena smiled gratefully. "Thank you."

"I will be waiting for you in the class. It is right around the corner," said Professor and begun to walk away. Not intending to keep her new homeroom teacher waiting, Serena quickly opened her bag and placed all her books inside. She left a spare notebook with her and closed the locker back. But as soon as she closed it she realize something, she actually hasn't received the code to open her locker from Professor Juniper. And neither has she had the timetable for her semester so far.

"I will ask Professor later," she said to herself and hung the bag on her shoulder before continuing on her way to her class. She remembered Professor Juniper telling her that it was the first room right around the corner. So she made the very right turn and found herself in another corridor. Classes were situated on both the sides and the corridor was completely empty. She then walked to the very first classroom she saw. As she neared it she realized that the door was open. She casually peeked inside and noticed that Professor Juniper was inside. She happened to notice her as well and smiled.

"Come inside, Serena," she said.

Serena took a step in and suddenly a silence fell in the room. Apparently, all the students who were talking before noticed her and turned to her. Usually, Serena wasn't a shy type of girl but with having so many strange pairs of eyes on her made her nervous. She made her way next to Professor Juniper who decided to introduce the young girl.

"Everyone, meet your new classmate. Serena is a transfer student from Kalos and from now on she will be studying with all of you," Professor Juniper.

"It's nice to meet you all," Serena said and bowed her head. Despite her polite voice, there was still a little pang of nervousness into it.

"Serena, you will be sitting next to Dawn, there," Professor Juniper said and pointed towards a certain blunette girl sitting not too far away. She was wearing a white dress and that was the most Serena could make out for the blue haired girl. However, the most attractive thing about her Serena noticed was her hair. It was blue and the way they were held under a white cap, just like her hair was covered under her pink hat, it rather suited her nicely. Serena nodded and walked to her supposed seat. The blunette girl was constantly staring at her with her blue eyes. But that did not amuse her at all. Everyone was staring at her curiously after all. Dawn scooted to a side and gave Serena some room. Serena sat next to the blue haired girl and placed her bag down, next to her. Almost everyone has turned forward again. However, some students were still staring at her with interest. Serena decided to ignore them.

She then glanced at the blue haired girl from the corner of eyes. Apparently, she looked back at Serena at the same time. "Hey," said Serena nervously. She did not intend to sound awkward to greet someone but remembering that she was still in the class, she couldn't raise her voice.

"Hi," the blue haired girl replied and then smiled. "I'm Dawn, it's nice to meet you, Serena," she said and moved her hand to Serena. Serena gradually looked at her hand then back at her. She finally smiled and accepted the open greeting.

"It's nice to meet you too," she said happily in low voice.

"Everyone, now!" Professor Juniper began in a loud voice. The little gossips that have somehow started around were turned down immediately and everyone turned to the professor. "Now that we are all here, let's start today's class," said Professor Juniper and clasped her hands together. "In today's class, we will study about the origin of some ancient Pokemon from Johto region. Is there anyone who doesn't know about Johto?" Professor looked around at everyone. The students have mostly calmed look and she knew that the question was pretty much irrelevant since everybody knew about Johto. But she wanted to make sure that everyone has attention in her class. "Good," she nodded and then placed her hand on the desk in front of her. "Johto is the neighbor region to Kanto, situated west to Kanto. But most importantly, it is believed that the Johto is one of the most ancient regions of the world. It somehow has connections with the origin of the world as well. Aside from the Pokemon League, it is most prominent because of its culture, which is surprisingly different from the Kanto despite these two regions being so close to each other. Although the climates of both these regions are similar, there are many Pokemon which are not generally found in Kanto due to the same reason."

Professor Juniper briefly stopped to take some breath. She noticed that a few students were making notes of her lecture. Gary Oak, who was possibly one of the most favored students of the class, was sitting quietly. He was solely listening to her. She glanced around at the other part of the hall as well and noticed that the new student Serena was also paying her complete attention to the class along with the blue haired girl next to her. As much as the class seemed completely filled, she somehow felt otherwise. She wasn't convinced. She felt like someone was missing.

And her thoughts proved to be true when the door of the class opened further. The heavy noise echoed throughout the quiet room and everyone turned to the door. Just as she expected, there he was, the boy she could not find since the beginning of the class today.

Serena has her full attention to the lecture, but when the voice of the door creaking echoed throughout the class, she couldn't help but look down at the door as well. A boy was standing there. He was wearing a blue jacket and a red cap was covering his hair. Its composure told her that his hair was a complete mess. But that's not attracted her attention most. She remembered seeing that boy before. Despite in a different disguise now, she could recall him. It was the same boy she bumped into earlier that morning outside the school.

The boy closed the door behind and proceeded to walk to his seat without acknowledging the presence of Professor Juniper.

"I know that you are mostly busy with Professor Oak, but please, refrain from being late in my class every day," Professor Juniper said. Her voice wasn't frustrated or annoying at all. But surprisingly, it was calm. It was the same soft voice she was using with Serena when they first met earlier today. It was the same voice she was using to lecture them. Serena could not help but felt awed at her patience.

"Sorry, ma'am. I promise, it won't happen again," the boy said casually without looking back at her as he climbed up the stairs to make it to his seat.

Serena could not help but stare at the boy. A strand of hair was coming out from beneath his cap. His eyes were auburn and there was a pair of zigzag marks on his cheeks. As she glanced at him, she just could not stop herself from continuously glancing at him. He was making her feel strangely weird. She felt like she knew him. But she could not remember him from anytime else then when she bumped into him earlier today. The more she stared at him, the more she began to feel steady on her thought that she knew him. But she could not justify it.

"Don't make the promises you can't keep, Mr. Ketchum," Professor Juniper said.

The half of the class snickered at her words. Even Dawn too and she glanced at her with a confused expression. But then she recalled what Professor Juniper has just said.

 _Don't make the promises you can't keep, Mr. Ketchum._

It did not mean to her what she said, but what she called him. That mattered

 _Mr. Ketchum._

 _Isn't his name is…_

And as she thought about it, about him, she could not help but remembered him again. She remembered his toothy grin, his raven hair and auburn eyes. He even had zigzag birthmarks on his either cheek. And as she compared those features with this boy, it started to make sense to her. And then the most important factor, _Mr. Ketchum._ It wasn't just a common name. There was only one person she knew who could fulfill all these needs at once.

And it was also the same person she was yearning to meet again for such a long time.

And as she glanced at him, who was sitting next to the spiky headed brunette she saw earlier in the corridor, she unknowingly started smiling. Her lips curved upwards and her heart started pounding. She could feel herself getting excited. A dreamy expression took over her current demeanor. This was the same boy she was dying to meet again. It was the same boy who held a special place in her heart that no one else can ever take. It was her childhood best friend.

It was her Ash.

* * *

 **So, here you have it. I think it turned out pretty well. I mean, I am pleased with it. And I hope that you enjoyed it too.**

 **So, certainly they did not exactly meet, but they at least are back into the business and even together in a scene. And now that we have them, I can finally move the story forward with some character development. It will be fun, to be honest. I was dying to write about Ash because the personality I am giving him is somewhat mine too.**

 **I would like to thank all of them who have reviewed the last chapter. It means a lot to see people actually genuinely interacting with the story itself. Hope to see constant support from you people.**

 **So, I was also thinking something. Since I have a lot of expectations with this story, I am planning to schedule its updates according to its social performance. I think I will update once this story will reach certain criteria that I will set for it. The reason is because I know that I will feel discouraged if I could not get the expected results right away. At least, it is better than that, right? A predefined goal rather than the instant result is much better, in my opinion, so yeah. So, the criteria I am temporarily setting for next few chapters is reaching ten followers with each chapter. If it happens too early, then I will move to ten favorites, and even if that will be doomed, then ten reviews. And even if that…Come on, man. You gotta give me some space too. I can't just write all the time!**

 **So, yeah, here you have my words.**

 **It's not like I am disappointed with the current progress or something. It is running smoothly so far. I just don't want to lose my cool with it, like I did with _"The Beginning"_.**

 **Make sure to review this chapter and let me know about anything you have to say.**

 **I hope to see you next time. Stay tuned.**

 **Sam.**


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N:**

 **Here is the new chapter. Nothing much to say so just go ahead and read it. Enjoy.**

* * *

Serena stood in front of her locker and turned the dial. Her locker opened and she finally let out a sigh in relief. After the class, Serena met Professor Juniper again and confronted the female professor with her problem. Professor Juniper happily agreed to help right away and gave her the code she needed. She also got her timetable for the semester and surprisingly, she found it interesting that they were willing to adjust it to her comfort, unlike her previous school where she has to choose the subject according to the school's policy and rules.

As soon as Serena closed the locker door, she was startled by the sudden appearance of the blue haired girl right next to her.

"Gah!" she jumped back in surprise but then relaxed on seeing who it was. Dawn had a smile on her face as she responded to her.

"Hi."

"W-What are you doing here?"

"I just thought I should drop by and say hello again. I did not get to talk to you in class," said Dawn. Now that she thought about it, she really did not get to talk to Dawn during their class. And later, when she left to see Professor Juniper, she did not get to see Dawn again for the rest of the day. Considering that, the school had just finished and Serena was expecting her mother to come and pick her up.

Dawn glanced at Serena's hand and noticed the timetable Serena has received for the semester. The combination Serena has chosen was rather weird. She found it complex for her own comfort. "It…seems complex," she said truthfully.

Serena glanced down at where Dawn was looking at and then smiled wryly. "Yeah. I guess," she said, "The truth is that I chose them as per my interest. I still can't believe that they let me," she finished with an astonished smile.

"Let me see it," Dawn said and moved her hand forward. Serena handed her timetable to Dawn without any protest. She closed the locker door and began to walk towards the exit with Dawn walking next to her. Dawn's eyes were gazing up and down constantly as she scanned the information in front of her. Her expression kept changing, from curious to astonishment, from astonishment to a surprised look and then she ended up frowning. "Geez, girl. You have gotten into a serious mess," she said and then looked at Serena.

Serena held the strap of her bag and looked at Dawn with a confused expression. "What do you mean?" she asked. "I really am interested in these subjects. Besides, I am confident that I will do my best," she paused and then smiled brightly. "You don't have to worry."

"That's not what I meant," Dawn said with a sigh. Serena's expression changed again with that of confusion and she titled her head. However, before she could ask, Dawn continued as if she had read Serena's mind. "You are not the only one to choose this combination," she said.

"Really?" Serena asked in surprise.

"Yeah," Dawn answered and handed the timetable back to Serena. She then clasped her hands behind her back and turned forward. "There are a few more students," she said. Serena was curious but astonished as well to learn that there was someone else who share the same interest as her. But before she could ask about the identity of that student, she was briefly interrupted when she heard gossips. Apparently, it was very low but her guts were telling her that it was directed towards her. When she looked around she found several pairs of eyes were directed at her. When she looked at them, they turned away. She also noticed that there were several students who were trying to approach her. Boys, girls, everyone. But they could not as if she was dangerous. She frowned mentally.

 _I am not going to bite, you know?_

"So, you are new in the town, huh?" Dawn's voice broke Serena's trance and brought her back to the earth.

"Yeah," Serena replied timidly and looked at her. Hearing to her response, Dawn suddenly stopped and grabbed Serena's hand. The two were standing at the entrance of the school building by then.

"Hey, I know! How about I show you around sometimes?" Dawn proposed excitedly. "I will show you all the places of the Pallet Town. You won't believe how amazing this place is," she exclaimed.

Serena was initially surprised by the sudden offer but then smiled enthusiastically. "That would be awesome!" she exclaimed in agreement. "I would love to see these places again. It has been really long, you know?"

"Again?" questioned Dawn in confusion. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well," Serena said and freed her hands from Dawn's grip. "Before moving to Kalos, I was originally a native of Pallet Town," she admitted.

"Really?" asked Dawn, trying to keep her surprise down.

"Yeah," Serena nodded and then sighed in contemplation. "It has been really long, though, nearly ten years," she mumbled in low voice. Her smile was still there, but her eyes lowered in a gentle gaze as she stared down. Memories from her past started to flash back, and no matter what, he was always into them. A chilling wave rushed through her spine when she felt a familiar presence around. She raised her head in alert and her eyes narrowed in suspicion as she looked around. Her heart could not stop worrying because it was a presence she did not expect to be around. She was familiar with it. She witnessed it. She knew when she felt it before.

Last night.

 _It couldn't be._

"Wow, it sure is long," Dawn muttered in disbelief. Serena heard her, but her worry ignored it. She tried to catch a glimpse of that person who was causing her to feel so bewildered suddenly. But what came in her view was someone she did not expect to be.

It was him, walking casually with a single strapped bag hung over his shoulder and to the other side around his waist. His raven hair, seemingly as messy as every was tucked under the red cap he was wearing. The rim of his cap was keeping his eyes hidden. No matter where she looked from, it was him, the boy she was carving to meet for so long. The feelings stayed, but all her worries disappeared immediately and a broad smile took over. Her excitement was at its peak, but before she could approach him, she noticed something.

There was someone running like a maniac and towards the entrance. His legs and arms were moving fast as if he was giving his all to reach his destination. And it did not take her too long to realize what his destination was. The boy made a jump and extended his arms before wrapping them forcefully around Ash from behind. The sudden force startled the raven haired boy and he was about to fall, but the brunette spiky haired boy pulled himself up and wrapped his arms around his neck instead.

"What the hell Ashy boy? Why didn't you wait for me?!" the boy exclaimed in a fake aggressive tone.

Ash looked up at the boy and sighed. "What?"

The brunette boy stood in front of Ash and placed his hands on the raven haired boy's shoulders. "Don't be so rude, Ash. You promised to tag along," the brunette boy said.

Serena had her eyes glued to the scene. Somehow, all her movements were sealed. She was about to approach Ash, but after watching this, she stopped suddenly and watched in amazement. When she was looking at the two boys, he happened to look into her direction and their eyes met briefly. Her blue sapphire eyes gazed deeply into his auburn eyes. A burning sensation rushed through her whole body that she hadn't felt for over ten years. A feeling that only he could give to her. Yes, indeed, he hasn't changed. He was the same Ash she remembered from ten years ago.

Ash broke his gaze and sighed again. "Just keep going already, Gary," he said and continued to walk.

Gary quickly let Ash go and brought his hands behind his head. "Geez, boy. You seriously need a girl, you know?" Gary said in a half joking manner, and Serena could swear that behind that frown and emotionless face, she actually noticed a soft and small smile on her friend's face. But that was all she could do, keeping him in her eyes. She could not gather enough courage to go and confront him and talk to him. She just stood there with her right fist placed over her heart while she stared at him with a look of regret.

 _Why couldn't she just approach him before?_

A sigh broke her trance again and Serena looked down at Dawn. She had a look of satisfaction just right now but now she was frowning. From her gaze, it was obvious that she was also looking at Ash and that other boy. She could not help but wonder what was happening.

Dawn then shook her face and forced a smile. "So, I will see you tomorrow, then?" she said to Serena and began to take steps backward.

Serena was a little hesitant initially from the event that just happened but smiled and nodded. "Yeah. See you tomorrow," she said. And with that, Dawn turned around and started jogging her way out with her hands tightly clenched around the straps of her bag. Serena then sighed and shook her head. When she looked up, she noticed her mother standing at the entrance a little far away. She was checking time in her wrist watch before looking up. When she noticed her daughter, her lips curved into a broad smile.

Serena happily waved her hands at her before rushing to her side.

* * *

"So, how was your first day of the school?" Grace questioned.

"It was good," Serena replied while glancing at a magazine. She was lying carelessly on the couch while skipping from pages to pages of a fashion magazine. Her mother walked to her and sat on the another coach.

"Just good?" Grace asked.

"Yes," Serena replied, still not looking up from the magazine. "Nothing really happen. I mean, it was just the first day," she said. Then suddenly, she remembered something. Her eyes perked up and a joyful expression took over. She looked over the magazine and at her mother. "Mom! Why didn't you tell me that Professor Oak is the principal of the school?"

Grace merely smiled. "Something happened after all," she said and stood up from the couch. Serena's eyes followed as her mother walked into the kitchen.

"Why didn't you tell me?!" Serena demanded childishly.

"Stop whining," Grace said in a playful voice. Serena pouted in response and Grace could not help but chuckle at her daughter's expression. "I didn't know you remembered him at all," she replied with a smile.

"Remember him? Of course, I remember him!" Serena responded in a high voice. "That is where I used to go most and…" her voice suddenly trailed off. Grace looked back at her daughter and noticed that her expression had changed suddenly. Her eyes rose in curiosity. "Mom! You would not believe it!" Serena suddenly yelled which startled her mother. Grace blinked several times while looking at Serena.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Ash was there!" she declared straight forward. Her expression brightened and her smile widened just on mentioning him. However, same could not be said about her mother. Her expression dropped suddenly. She just glanced at her daughter in disbelief, could not believe what she just heard.

"Come again?" Grace asked.

"It's true, mom! It was really Ash!" Serena exclaimed. "He has all grown up but he still looked same, you know? His hair, his eyes and even his birthmarks are same!" Serena said as if she was describing a wonder. She herself did not realize how loud and childish she was acting. All she knew was that she was lost in her thoughts. "I still can't believe that he was here all this time. And in the same class as me. It is just amazing, mom!"

Serena was completely joyous on mentioning her childhood friend that she was yearning to meet for so long. And she was so lost in her thoughts that she did not even realize how lifeless her mother looked.

* * *

Climbing up the stairs and passing through the long hallway, Ash Ketchum was on his way to Professor's laboratory. He had received a call sometimes ago and Professor Oak asked him to run an errand for him. Ash flatly accepted but said no words in response. It wasn't the first time he was doing something like that. He was indebted to Professor Oak for everything he had done for him after his parents died. That was the least he could do for Professor Oak, someone he felt close to.

Ash entered the laboratory and noticed Professor Oak sitting on a chair while observing the data of a certain relic on the big screen in front of him. There were several articles around it too. Articles from old newspapers and books were lying everywhere on the desk in front of him. He had his glasses on and he seemed totally concentrated on his work.

"Did you call me, Professor?" Ash asked as he neared the old man.

Professor Oak noticed him and smiled. "Yes, Ash," he said. "I wanted you to go to the Pokemon Centre of Viridian City and escort Professor Sycamore here," Professor told. "Would it be alright? If you are busy then it is fine, I will send Daisy."

"It's fine. I don't really have anything to do right now," Ash replied with an exhaustive and flat look.

"Thank you, Ash," Professor Oak smiled gratefully. Ash simply shrugged off and turned around. But before he could walk out, he noticed that Gary was walking in while tossing a Pokeball in his hand.

"Here you go, gramps," Gary said on noticing that Professor Oak was looking at him. He then turned to Ash. "I heard you are going somewhere?"

Ash shrugged his shoulders. "Viridian City," Ash replied.

Gary placed the Pokeball on the shelf while he responded, "Ah. It might be Professor Sycamore. I heard that he would be coming over," Gary then turned around and noticed that Ash was still looking at him with a blank expression. "I'm coming along with you," he declared straightly and grabbed the keys from the Professor Oak's desk.

"What for? You don't have to come," Ash questioned. His voice sounded rather annoyed. Gary simply shrugged his shoulder and walked past him and out of the room. Ash stood there dumbfounded while Gary disappeared from his sight. Shaking his head left and right, Ash quickly went after him. "Hey! Wait for me!"

"So where exactly are we going?" Gary questioned once Ash reached to him.

"Pokemon Centre," Ash replied.

"Hmm," Gary mumbled. "I wonder what caused him to come all the way here. He generally doesn't have any business with gramps," Gary said thoughtfully.

"Who knows," Ash muttered. But then his eyes lowered on realizing something. "Say, Gary, do you think it's about _it_?" Ash asked. On realizing what Ash was talking about, Gary scratched the back of his head.

"It may be possible," he replied. "But I don't think he is coming just to pick _it_ up. Gramps could have transferred _it_ to him if he wanted to. I think there is just more than that," Gary explained. Ash did not reply. He placed his hands in the pockets and continued to walk. Gary soon noticed the depression that was consuming Ash so he quickly changed the subject. "Anyway, how is your assignment going?"

Ash looked at Gary briefly before turning forward and shrugged his shoulders in response. Gary narrowed his eyes on his response. "I'm not going to back you up this time," said Gary.

Ash smirked. "I never asked." Gary narrowed his eyes into a glare while Ash just ignored him and continued to walk. But Gary did not take his glare off Ash. "Stop giving that look now," Ash said.

Gary did not simply answered back but grabbed Ash's neck around his arm and ruffled his hair playfully. "I heard that they are advertising the upcoming Pokemon tournament in Viridian. I don't think gramps would mind it. Should we check it out?" Gary asked.

"Sure," Ash replied and removed Gary's grip around him. He wore his cap as the two continued to walk out of the room. All these times, Gary did not stop his playful acts toward Ash while the latter sighed in annoyance. Despite it, a genuine smile still made its way on his face.

* * *

It was almost middle of the night. Presumably, everyone was asleep. Presumably. A certain brown haired woman was still wide awake. The news that she had received from her daughter earlier that day was still fresh in her mind. And it was bugging her ever since then.

Taking a long deep breath, Grace carefully dialed a number on the phone and waited for someone to pick up on the other side. Her heartbeat was constantly increasing as the time was passing. She placed her hand on her heart and gulped under the pressure of rising pressure.

"Hello?"

Finally, someone picked on the other side. From the voice, the answerer seemed to be an old man. Grace did not immediately reply, so the man continued.

"What is it Grace? You know it is really late right now. Is there something you want?" the man on the other side said.

"Yes," Grace said in a low voice. The man furrowed his eyes on noticing the reaction of the woman. "I wanted to ask you something."

"Sure. What is it?" the man questioned.

Grace took another deep breath. "I heard that Red and Delia's son is in the town. Is it true?"

"He never left at the first place," the man answered. "In fact, he is living with me. I decided to look after him after his parents died. Why did you ask, though?" the man reverted the question. But Grace never responded back. Instead, she asked him another question.

"Is the Mob still active? Even in Pallet Town?"

"No. I haven't heard from them for years now. I think that they give up when everyone disappeared from Pallet. Ash was the only one left."

"Do you think they will ever go after him?"

"I'm not really sure. But if they learned about his existence, then they might come after him."

"And…" Grace gulped as she tried to ask one last question. She could only hope that it wasn't what she was thinking. It could not be that worse. "…does he attends Kanto High?"

"Yes."

That was a straight answer and everything that was needed to leave Grace completely dazed. A look of horror struck over her face.

* * *

 **So, this update took quite some time. I hope that it worth the wait but let me tell this to you. This story is supposed to develop slowly from the scratch. These early chapters are setting up the plot, but along with character introduction, it takes time as well and all that because it is mostly told from Serena's point of view, well, for now, that is. This also reminded me, there will be a lot of mysterious characters that I will be involving in it. Most of them would be the well-known characters from Pokemon itself, but there will be many OCs as well. Not too many, but sufficient enough. One of them, I mentioned above already.**

 **Anyway, if you loved it, let me know. Good reviews always encourage me to write more. So, make sure you leave a review.**

 **Next chapter might not come out until April. I got some time to finish this chapter after my practicals ended on last Monday. But I have exams coming right after it, so I will be spending my most time in studying. But once finished, I will have a lot of time to write so you can expect constant updates from me starting from April. If not, the chapters might be lengthy,**

 **To stay updated, make sure to follow me on Tumblr. I have recently made an account to keep an update of my story progress. Link is on the profile.**

 **Also, make sure to check out my YouTube account. I have recently updated a few more AMVs. Check them out!**

 **Make sure to leave a review. Add it in your favorite and follow list as well. That would be super cool. So, see you next time.**

 **Sam.**


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N:**

 **Hey, people. Here you have a new update and a new chapter. And guess what? Since my exams are over I now have a plenty of time to continue this story and my other projects as well. Keeping this for later, here you go with a new chapter. Go ahead and dig in.**

* * *

The halls of the school were filled with students in the early morning. It was just matter of time until the classes were about to start. A crowd of students was flooding the hall that consisted the lockers. In such a heavy crowd was a certain girl who had recently transferred to the school. Ignoring the students around her, Serena opened her locker and gathered the required books which were needed for the Professor Juniper's class that came out to be history.

"Oh, there you are!"

While Serena was minding her own business, she heard a familiar cheerful voice. She turned into the direction and noticed that it was her new blue haired friend, Dawn. She was smiling as she made her way through the crowd and towards her.

"Hey!" she greeted cheerfully.

"Hey," Serena replied in the same demeanor. "Did you just arrive?" Serena asked.

"No," Dawn shook her head. "I was looking for you. But I never knew I will find you here," she said and then turned to the locker that was next to Serena's locker and opened. Serena was visibly surprised to learn that her new friend's locker was right next to hers'. "So, what do you think about our school so far?" Dawn asked.

"Well," Serena breathed, breaking free from her trance. "It is just my second day here, but I think this is an amazing place. I have heard about it back in Kalos too," she picked up the necessary books and closed her locker before turning to Dawn. Dawn closed her locker a few moments after that and the two began to walk to their class.

"You mean it is better than your old school, right?" Dawn asked.

"You can put it that way too," Serena replied with a cheesy smile as the two continued. But they stopped suddenly when someone stopped in front of them. It was a girl. Her blue hair was tied into a ponytail while two thin strands of her hair were falling down from both sides of her face.

"Uh…um, excuse me," she said abruptly while her blue eyes were visibly nervous. The two girls looked at her with confused looks. "You are Serena Gabena, right? The daughter of the champion Grace Gabena?" she asked in hesitated voice.

"Uh, um. Yes. That's me," Serena replied, feeling uneasy voice. On hearing her, the girl's face lit up in excitement.

"I knew I have seen you before. My name is Lara Laramie and I am really big fan of your mother!" she exclaimed and grabbed Serena's hand, shaking them wildly. Serena was shaken from such gesture and Dawn giggled from her side. "I…uh…I know it is too sudden, but is it possible that we can be friends? I would like to meet your mom someday. Please?" Lara pleaded.

"Um…okay, but…can you let me go now?" Serena replied, still shaken from the gesture. On realizing what Serena meant, Lara quickly took her hands back rubbed her head sheepishly. Serena took a few moments to calm down.

"I don't think we have a lot of same classes, but can we still hang out sometimes?" Lara asked.

"Yeah, sure," Serena replied. Lara was overjoyed after Serena's agreement. With becoming friend with another girl, Serena and Dawn parted from Lara while promising to see each other during lunch. Serena and Dawn continued through the crowd of students.

Dawn clasped her hands behind her back and said, "Being the daughter of a celebrity is hard, isn't it?" Serena glanced at her with a confused expression. She wasn't sure if Dawn knew that her mother was a popular Ryhorn Racing champion. As if reading her mind, she quickly responded back. "Of course, I knew. I mean who doesn't? Why do you think everyone is looking at you like that?" she said. Serena looked around and noticed that most of the students were looking at her. When she glanced at them they turned away quickly. She turned back to Dawn.

"I did not know that they see me like that," Serena said in a low and hurt voice.

"They do. You can't help it," Dawn replied. "But don't worry. They will get used to it. You will get used to it as well. Just stick with me," Dawn said as if consoling Serena. Serena gave her another confused look. She still did not get what her blue haired friend meant.

"What do you mean?" she asked. Dawn did not reply but smiled instead. That was when she noticed something different. Dawn's blue hair, they give her a distinct identity. Wasn't it… "Don't tell me!" Serena suddenly gasped. "You are the daughter of Johana Berlitz?!" Dawn's smile widened on her remark but she did not reply back. "I-I can't believe it! How didn't I recognize you?!"

"Um, I suppose because you did not pay attention?" Dawn replied, but in much more sarcastic tone. "And please, don't yell…It's not a big deal, really. I knew who you were ever since I first saw you yesterday in the class. And to be honest, I know how it feels when people see you like that…so I wasn't being formal with you. Guess, I was right," Dawn explained.

Serena merely nodded. "Yeah, maybe. So-"

But Serena stopped suddenly. Dawn noticed her and turned around only to witness Serena standing at a spot with a dazed expression. Her eyes were wide and fixed at one place while her body felt like it was stiffened. Dawn turned into the direction where Serena looking at and frowned. Her eyes were fixed on _him._

Ash closed the door of Principal room behind and started walking towards them. He was most probably going to the locker room. He took out his hand from the pocket and scratched his cheek as he walked. Unknown to him, when he brought his hand out, a folded paper came out and fell down on the floor without anyone noticing it. Without acknowledging anyone, Ash walked past Serena and Dawn and then walked away.

All this time, Serena had her eyes fixed right on him. She just could not stop looking at him. One of the reasons was maybe because even when he was right in front of her, he still felt so far away. He had looked at her just for once, and even that was accidently but simply ignored her. And she could not gather enough courage to go and talk to him either. She felt nervous. Anxious maybe. She just could not shake off the weird feeling she was having around him, that she did not wish to feel. It reminded her of that night. She shivered just on its mention.

"Hey, I think we should just-Hey! Where are you going?"

Ignoring Dawn's words, Serena walked a few steps forward, bent down and picked up the piece of paper that slipped out of Ash's pocket. She opened it and started to read it. Curious, Dawn made her way to Serena. As she neared her friend, Serena suddenly showed an expression of surprise. Dawn was initially unsure what could be the reason, but when she looked down at the paper, she realized what it was.

It was _something_ that she wished Serena did not get to learn about.

* * *

The brown haired teenager was walking through the crowd of the students in rather rush. The history lesson they had ended just some minutes ago and Ash was already out of his sight. It worried him. Really. So, he quickly left the class without even bothering if Professor Juniper had allowed them or not and rushed after his friend. He could not help it. That guy always made him worry.

His eyes lit up with excitement and a huge wave of relief washed over him when he noticed Ash standing outside his locker. Rushing after him, he tackled the raven haired boy and wrapped his arms around his neck, as usual.

"Hey, where did you disappear you jerk? You made me worry so much, you idiot!" he scolded the raven haired boy. His actions and words caused the students around them to give them weird glances. Even though it was a routine now, they still could not get used to the fact that how childish or closer Gary acted around Ash. It was simply a surprise to them and it always amused them. When Ash literally did not respond back, Gary grabbed his shoulders and started shaking him. "Earth to Ash!" he yelled at his face.

"What?" Ash finally responded and looked at Gary.

"Why do you leave me behind every day?"

"Does it matter?" Ash turned back to the locker and placed the books inside. "We see each other all the time."

"Of course, it does! I will die out of loneliness!" Gary said expressing his depression. Ash merely smirked in response.

"You have been saying this from last six years, Gary," he said. Gary cheekily grinned and took his hands off.

"Well, whatever. I will see later. Don't just disappear like before again," Gary said and took a few steps back. Ash shrugged his shoulders in response and gave a small smile. "I'm being serious, pal. See you later!" and with that being said, Gary quickly disappeared into the crowd of the students again.

"Stupid, idiot," Ash mumbled under his breath while giving a genuine smile. He grabbed the required books, closed the locker back and began to make his way to his next class. He placed his hands back into the pockets as he walked without caring about his surroundings. He lowered his cap to keep his eyes away from everyone. And as soon as they were sheltered under the rim, they changed. Loneliness, emptiness and a lot of painful expressions could be read just by looking into his eyes. He was completely out of the world, away from where he belonged, yearning to have what he rightfully deserve.

"Um, excuse me," a small, feminine voice broke his trance and Ash looked up. What he saw was the sight he wasn't expecting at all. A brief flashback appeared and he found himself falling on the ground with his arms clutching a container tightly around his chest. It was those same eyes who showed concern for him yesterday. And it was the same girl standing before him right now as well.

A lot of curious pair of eyes was glancing at their direction. Ash could feel it, but he did not care. He was used to it by now. What he cared about was the girl that stood in front of him. What business could she have with him that she was brave enough to stop him in the middle of the hallway, in front of a lot of students?

"It is yours," she said and moved her hand forward. There was a piece of paper in her hand. Ash's eyes glanced down at her hands and furrowed on realizing what it was. His hands quickly darted in every corner of the pockets, only to find them empty. Indeed it was his timetable for the semester. "A-And if you don't' mind," her hesitant, but still soft voice caused him to look back at her. "Could you show me the next class? I saw it earlier and realized that we have same classes, so, I was wondering if you could…"

"Not interested."

Those were the only words that she heard. She stopped in the middle of her speech and looked at him with a blank expression. His words were ringing in her head and despite how hard she tried, she could not accept what he just said. For a short and brief moment, the whole hallway fell into silence. And before Serena could process everything and gather herself again, Ash walked past her, leaving her behind.

Serena still could not process anything rationally for a moment. The bell for the next class ringed and Serena's trance was broken. And as soon as she processed it, she realized she was running late for her next class. Turning around, Serena quickly rushed after Ash who was barely in her sight anymore.

"H-Hey! Wait for me! Take it back at least," Serena called out after him as she neared the raven haired boy. Ash noticed her coming after him but decided to not pay her any attention. And in no time Serena was walking next to him. "Don't you need it?" she asked.

"Keep it," that was all Ash said in response.

"But…" Serena was completely dumbfounded. Her voice trailed off and she was at the loss of words. Even if she managed to keep up with his pace, she still could not keep up with his attitude towards her. "You are not taking it back and you are not even helping me even after knowing that I'm new here?"

"I never volunteered," he muttered, but loud enough for Serena to hear. Her expression dropped down and a saddened expression took over.

"You have really changed, Ash," Serena responded

What Serena said were the words that came deep from her heart. She felt bad, very bad that Ash was treating her like this. Somehow, however, those words finally managed to stop Ash. "What did you say?" he asked in low voice.

Serena's expression changed once again, into confusion this time. "What…what do you mean?" she asked and tilted her head cutely as Ash turned around glanced at her.

"I don't know how you know my name. But…what do you mean…that I have changed?" Ash asked. "I don't remember seeing you around before."

Serena simply stared at him with a blank expression. She tried to process what he just said. Her eyes lowered in a gentle glance as she realized what he meant. "You…You don't know?" she asked. "Don't you remember me, Ash?" Serena said and clasped her hands over her heart.

"I don't," Ash replied in a straight tone. Serena did not know what exactly she was feeling right now. She had expected Ash to not remember her, but there was hope somewhere that he actually remembered her. Maybe that was the reason why she felt so hurt from his words.

"You really don't?" but despite this inevitable ache, she tried to sound surprised. "How can you forget me, Ash? I'm Serena. We go way back. You don't remember anything at all?"

"No. I don't remember you," Ash replied in a cold dead voice and turned around. "Now stop following me," he said and began to walk again.

"But-" Serena did not even get to finish and she quickly went after him again. "You haven't shown me the next class yet. I'm really new here. And I still have your timetable. Don't you want it back? Can't you at least do this?"

Getting annoyed by her constant nagging, Ash once again turned around. He moved his hand forward. Serena looked at him. He seemed completely emotionless so she could not even tell what was going through his mind. But responding to his call, she quickly handed Ash his timetable back. She actually felt joyous that he was cooperating with her. Now only if he would show her their next class…But her eyes widened in surprise when she witnesses something unexpected.

Ash grabbed both the sides of the timetable and torn it apart in front of her. He threw it away and raised his right hand to the right side. "And this is your class!" he said in annoyance. Serena abruptly followed his hand and realized that they were standing in front of the door leading to their next class. She turned back to Ash, unsure of how to respond. But Ash did not give her time to think at all. "Now stop following me around. I'm not escorting you and neither is it my job. It is better for you to stay away from me," Ash coldly but calmly said to her before he walked into the room, leaving a confused and dazed Serena behind.

* * *

The room that was filled with the gossips of students calmed down immediately when the Professor clapped his hands together. His gray eyes that were covered with glasses had a bright vibe into them as he smiled broadly.

"So everyone is here? Good. So let's start today's lesson," Professor Elm said. "So far, we have discussed the basics of the evolution of Pokemon. But today we will talk about the variations in the evolution. Is there anyone who can tell how the evolution varies?" Professor Elm asked and looked at everyone. However, no one seemed ready to answer. But Professor Elm had his eyes still moving around, looking for one particular student. His eyes narrowed a little when he saw an unexpected face.

"Yes, girl, you," Professor said to the honey blonde haired girl.

"M-Me?" Serena asked hesitantly and pointed towards herself. Professor Elm nodded and Serena stood up.

"I have never seen you before in my class. Are you the new transferred student? What is your name?" Professor Elm asked.

Serena sheepishly nodded. "It's Serena, Professor."

"Hmm, very well, Serena. Now can you tell me why the Alolan Pokemons have different forms than others?" Professor Elm asked.

"It is due to the unique environmental pressure. Pokemons there adapts to their environment and their form changes," Serena replied and then scratched her cheek nervously. "That is all I know," she added.

"That's true, Serena," Professor Elm said. "Would you be kind enough to tell us where did you learn it?"

"Um. I read an article in a magazine. Professor Oak mentioned about his brother working in Alola where he studies the variation of different forms of Pokemons," Serena answered truthfully. "But, that was all written there so I know that much only," she said.

"Hmm," Professor Elm nodded. From his look, it appeared like he was happy to receive such response from her, but Serena immediately put on a confused expression when Professor Elm visibly frowned. "Professor Oak. Always one step ahead of me," he muttered to himself but his voice echoed in the silent classroom. Serena looked around and noticed that the students around have their eyes down and there was a frown on their faces. She was unsure of the event going on in the classroom.

"Professor Elm, evolution! We are studying about variation in evolution!" a student who was sitting in the first row said a little loudly. On his words, Professor Elm looked up at everyone and laughed nervously.

"Ah, right. Sorry," he scratched the back of his head while the whole class chuckled. "You know how I get whenever I hear about Professor Oak," he said. Professor then turned to Serena. "You can sit down now, Serena," he said. Serena nodded with a smile and sat back on her seat. She briefly glanced at few rows ahead of her and saw Ash sitting there. He had a pen tucked in his fingers which he was tapping on the table while his face was resting on his left palm. His eyes were looking forward but from his expression, it was obvious that he wasn't too interested in the class.

* * *

"So, what you are trying to say is that I have more burden on me now?"

"Not exactly. But it would not hurt if you would keep an eye on her as well."

There was no response to the Professor Oak's words as the brown haired man, seemingly in his mid-thirties stood against the wall silently. His eyes were sternly gazing down at the floor of the room. His silence was a clear indication to Professor Oak that the man was considering his words.

"We are already running behind our schedule and this," Professor Oak placed a file on his desk and gazed up at the man before continuing, "It is a clear proof that they are up to something. You don't even have to think too much what it could be," as Professor Oak finished, the man glanced at the file that was placed on the desk. There was a single document poking out of it and on the photograph over it was a young girl with honey blonde hair. It was a familiar face to him nonetheless.

After a brief silence, the man replied, "So, what exactly you want me to do?"

"Just make sure she stays safe," Professor Oak replied.

"So I am babysitting two children now?"

Professor Oak snickered at the man's sarcastic reply. "If that's how you look at it," Professor Oak said and stood up from the chair before walking towards the window of the room. His hands were clasped behind his back and his eyes were fixated in a stern gaze as if he was observing something. The man only stared at the old man. "All I care about is that they stay safe."

"Understood," the man replied. Professor Oak turned to him with his expression lightened than before, but before he could say a single word he was interrupted by the same man as if he had read his mind. "Affirmative," and with that, he began to walk out of the room. He opened the door and when he was about to walk out, he was stopped.

"I know I am asking a lot from you. As a champion, it is hard for you," Professor stopped briefly as he stared at the back of the man.

"Don't worry. I have got this," the man replied and began to walk out. "See you later, dad."

* * *

"Hey, wait up!" the brunette called out and rushed after his raven haired friend. Ash turned around to look at his caller but before he could even look at him, the inevitable happened and an arm grabbed his neck before pulling him forward. He nearly lost the grip on his food tray but somehow managed to keep it in the hands, unharmed. "Guess what? Dad is around the campus today," he said with glee.

"Come again?" Ash asked in disbelief, completely oblivious that a pair of eyes was stalking him ever since he entered the cafeteria.

As the two boys continued through the heavily filled cafeteria towards the nearby empty seats, Serena was keeping her eyes on Ash all the times. She could not help but notice the look of horror on his face when Gary mentioned his father and felt confused. However, her trance was broken immediately when she noticed fingers snapping in front of her and words ringing in her head.

"Earth to Serena!" Dawn called out loudly in annoyance as she flicked her fingers in front of Serena and holding her tray in other. Serena finally looked back at her and realized that Dawn had already grabbed her supper and from her look, it was obvious that she was waiting for her for a while. "Why do you keep dozing over?"

"Uh…Um…It is nothing," Serena replied and gave Ash a final glance before turning back to Dawn. But the blue-haired girl noticed Serena's gaze and looked into that direction only to notice the two familiar boys sitting at some distance.

"Seriously, you should stop stalking him now," she said in a defeated voice as the two girls walked. Serena did not respond immediately and the two finally stopped to take their seats. They sat in such a way that Serena had a clear view of Ash whose back was facing her while Dawn was sitting opposite to her. No sooner another blue haired girl joined her, Lara, the girl who introduced herself to Serena in the middle of the corridor earlier today. She sat next to Serena and was welcomed warmly.

As the lunch continued with small chit-chat, Serena finally asked the question that was bugging her for a while.

"Hey, Dawn…do you know him?" Serena asked. Dawn looked up at her before turning around to see where Serena was looking at. Her eyes caught the glimpse of the brunette boy who was munching on a sandwich. A red colored headphone was hung around his neck and he had a happy look on his face as he talked with his friend.

"Gary?" Dawn questioned and turned to Serena. "Yeah…He is the top battler of our school and grand-"

"No…not him," Serena interrupted her. "The boy with him," at that Dawn once again turned around and noticed that there was another boy sitting opposite to Gary. Even though his back was facing her and only his black messy hair and the red cap were visible, his identity was still known by her.

"Are you talking about Ash?" this time it was Lara who spoke.

"Yes, him," Serena nodded in affirmative. Dawn turned back and gave Serena a confused look. "I ran into him earlier today and he was…"

"…not nice to you?" Lara continued. When Serena nodded both the girls sighed.

"Yes, I know him…I mean, everybody knows him," Dawn looked up at Serena as she continued, "He is a boy of many mysteries," she explained.

"What do you mean?" Serena asked.

"Just like Gary, he is a top battler too, but…" Lara munched down on her sandwich as she explained. She continued after gulping it down. "…since a few years ago he has changed."

"Changed?"

"Yeah," Dawn nodded in confirmation. "He was used to be one of the best battlers of the school and a good student. He still is…or is supposed to be. It was just a good day but then Ash went missing for a week with no sign of him. And when he returned, he was changed completely," Dawn explained. Serena's mouth was opened a little as she heard the news. "It happened around five years ago…or something like that," Dawn said before taking a bite of her own sandwich.

"He became stone cold. Everyone tried to make him spill the beans but ended up arguing with him. Many times things go physical and heated and as a result, he started losing everyone. His reputation in the school started dropping as well but he never lost the respect he earned. It is only Gary and Professor Oak now that he openly talks to," Lara explained.

"Only Gary…?" Serena was shocked, but more so confused. "If he had a fight with nearly everyone then how came Gary is still able to talk to him?" Serena asked. She glanced at the two boys and saw Gary snickering and Ash frowning. She could tell that there was a light environment and that the two of them were enjoying, even if one of them was frowning.

"He is different," Dawn replied this time. "Gary also tried to talk Ash out of the situation and they got into the worst fight," Serena gasped at Dawns' words. "But you see…he endured that. He did not let him go. Even now he doesn't let him off the hook. Nobody knows what is exactly going on between them, but Gary managed to stick with him and Ash had to give up against him," Dawn explained, a little laugh escaped her lips.

Serena felt like her chest was scrunching. It hurt her. How came it all happened behind her back? She was away from Ash for ten years and the boy she knew was now completely gone. No wonder that he did not even remember her. Or maybe he was being himself, as Dawn and Lara explained just a moment ago. But how could someone even manage to surpass his will and made him give up? He never gave up. How did Gary do that?

"What about Professor Oak?" she asked.

"He was with him all the time, even after becoming like that. Nobody knows why? But seriously…will you stop it now? Why are you so interested in him out of all the people? Didn't I say nobody likes to be around him? Well…nobody likes to talk about him either. He does not deserve it at all after how he has treated us all in these past years," Dawn complaint in annoyance. Lara simply nodded her head in agreement.

Serena pushed her tray of food away as a feeling of discomfort rushed through her. Her hands clenched into a fist as they stayed on the table, her eyes dropped staring at her lap. There was brief silence as Dawn and Lara continued to eat their lunch. However, as the silence grew the two blue haired girls looked at Serena. On noticing her expression they looked at each other before glancing at her once again. But before either of them could say anything, Serena suddenly stood up from her seat and began to walk. Dawn was confused at first but when she noticed where Serena was going she quickly grabbed her hand and stopped her.

"Where are you going now?" she said.

"I don't know what misunderstanding do you have but Ash isn't like that," she replied sternly.

"What are you talking about?" Dawn asked, confused and started losing her grip on Serena.

"Just let me talk to him…I'm sure he will listen to me. And I know that he is not like what you are saying. I will prove that to you," she said, determination lurking through her words and eyes.

"How are you going to do that? Don't you remember how he reacted around you before?" Lara asked. Dawn nodded at the statement and stared at Serena quizzically. However, her eyes suddenly went wide. Serena was confused at first but then realized that she was looking behind her. Even Lara was giving the same reaction. Serena turned around to look at the situation as well but what she received was a push back when someone bumped into her. Recovering fast, Serena looked up and gasped on seeing Ash there. His head bumped against her slightly while he managed to keep himself away from her mostly. However, it did not change the fact that he was looking at her with annoyance.

"Didn't I tell you to stay away from me?" Ash said sharply but then shook his head. "Never mind," he muttered and was about to walk away when a voice interrupted.

"Ash Ketchum!"

It wasn't a loud voice, neither someone had yelled, but there was a command and authority in the voice that even Serena flinched for a moment. Ash was already stopped dead on his track. Muttering something under his breath he turned around, keeping his eyes hidden under the rim of his cap and gaze down. The whole cafeteria was silent at that point and Serena could not help but wonder why. But when she realized that everyone was staring at someone, she turned into that direction and…and she could not hold her surprise back. Even if she had not seen him for over ten years, she knew who this man was. Brown, spiky hair, brown eyes, and especially his black T-Shirt and military trousers, even after all these years he was the same man.

As the man walked towards Ash, who was silent all the time, everyone stared at them with their mouth wide open in a brief silence. No sooner the man stopped in front of Ash and looked at him. Serena still had her eyes on them, but then she noticed something. The features of this man…had no she has seen that somewhere else as well?

In the brief silence, the voice of footsteps rushing towards them echoed throughout the cafeteria.

"Dad…What's up? What are you doing here?" a familiar young voice said. When Serena looked down at him, she gasped yet once again. It was none other than Gary, standing next to the man and looking back and forth between him and Ash. Even she could not help but wonder what was happening.

"I want you to have an exhibition match with, Gary, right now," the man said with authority. If it was possible, the cafeteria went even more silent and then whispering started from all the corners.

"A Pokemon battle with him? Heh. That will be cool. What do you say Ashy-boy?" Gary said, looking down at the raven haired boy who still had his eyes down.

After a brief silence and some more muttering, Ash finally decided to respond. He looked up and made an apologetic face, only to get rejected immediately.

"No excuses, Ash," the man said. Ash visibly flinched at his voice.

"No running away. Just like dad said, Ash. You and I are having a battle. Now, come on!" Gary said excitedly and grabbed Ash's arm before dragging him out of the cafeteria. The man turned around and stared at the two teens as they disappeared from the cafeteria. And soon as they did the whole cafeteria rushed after them. Even Dawn and Lara prepared to leave but stopped by Serena who was still looking at the man with amazement.

"Uh…um, excuse me," Serena began in a soft, polite voice. Her words made the man turn around and he looked down at the honey blonde haired girl. Serena wanted to ask something but under his gaze, she went silent again. The man kept his gaze constant at her.

"Serena, right?" the man finally said. Serena gulped and hesitantly nodded. The man smiled softly at that and nodded before turning around and walking out of the cafeteria. As the man disappeared from her sight, Serena let out a huge sigh of relief. One question, however, was still lurking into her mind. And more importantly, the way Gary addressed him.

 _Isn't the man is champion of the region…Blue Oak?_

* * *

 **Ash and Serena finally met. Well, even if it was one-sided, they did officially face to face meet each other at last. Regarding Ash's attitude, just to let you know, this story is not your typical high school fiction where Ash is a complete emotionless jerk who will be open to the new transferred student Serena and the love blooms… really, does it even make any sense? Anyway, the reason behind it is still clouded by the mysteries that will be unveiled slowly as the story will progress. And you can expect similar things in upcoming few chapters as well as the story is still in the state where set ups are being established. However, I suggest you assume the same reason as I just mentioned above, it is not your typical story.**

 **And Blue Oak is the father of Gary Oak, no surprise. You might have guessed it from the prologue right away. The surprise right now is, why does he want Ash and Gary to battle? Any thoughts? Well, I will love to hear your opinions on that.**

 **The next chapter features the first battle of this story, Ash vs. Gary, which is somewhat unexpected because of their different (comparing to anime) relationship. But with what Serena has been told about them, what do you think who might win? Just a lucky guess?**

 **I want to thank all of you who reviewed so far. It means a lot and I would be really happy if you keep showing this support until the end.**

 **Also, please go ahead and check out my new separated Tumblr blog for** **the writing stuff and it includes fanfiction and original work, both. By following me there you can stay updated with my progress. It is called FanFiction & Wattpad and you can find it this way as well (streetracer-sam-stories dot tumblr dot com)**

 **The next update might be after two weeks, a little up and downs will be based on its performance as I have said in previous chapters. So, I will see you around then.**


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N:**

 **Hey, everyone. As promised, here is the next chapter for you. But before we move on, I just want to let you know that I am actually disappointed that nobody left any appreciated feedback that could help me improve in future, and it is disheartening, to be honest. I am a type of author who is never satisfied with his work and tries to keep improving them in one way or another, but when I don't get a response that I should, well, you know.**

 **Read and enjoy.**

* * *

Battling was tough. But refusing to Blue was even tougher. And considering that it was Ash who wished to refuse Blue's direct proposal was nothing less than a suicidal mission. Blue Oak, the current champion of Kanto region, was always respected by Ash, but moreover he feared him. Gary was his son. He knew when to say what in front of his father, but Ash could not. Due to influence of his sarcastic friend, he had gotten a personality which could easily piss the short tempered man. And his bad side was not something he wanted to see, so Ash decided to ignore the man.

"But that damn Blondie!" Ash breathed roughly. "Had to stop me at the worst time!"

"Come on, Ashy-boy. Since when did you become so afraid of battling?" Gary teased.

"Will you shut up for a moment?" the raven haired boy argued back.

"Hey-Hey," Gary raised his hands in his defense, "Calm down now. What had gotten into you so suddenly? It is just an exhibition match."

"Just an exhibition match? Do you think it is just an exhibition match?!" Ash yelled, "You know better than anyone else what it is!"

"Chimer down!" Gary said, placing his hands roughly on Ash's shoulders. "I know it is hard but…think about our school at least. Come on, buddy. I need you there with me."

"I can't do it. Why don't you get it?"

"Why can't you do it?"

"Because I don't want to do it!"

"What you don't want to do?"

The two Pallet teens froze in shock when a new but familiar voice was heard. It felt like they were directly hit on the spine. Turning in the direction slowly, the two were immediately met with a deadly sight. It was Blue.

"Nothing important, ehehehehe," Gary laughed nervously. Blue took his eyes off Gary and then looked at Ash. But the boy could not gather enough courage to look up at him at all. Guilt has already consumed his mind and heart.

"Fine," Blue nodded and Gary let a heavy breath out of relief. "Then get ready you two. Everyone seems excited. You would not want to disappoint them," he said.

Ash frowned on his voice. Just as he was thinking. The exact thing he wanted to run away from most. The two teens were considered as the best trainers of the school and most prominent contender of the upcoming tournament. Unfortunately, it was a long time ago. Ever since _that_ tragedy, Ash had stopped battling. The mere thought was ridiculous to him. It brought the memories back. It has always haunted him. Even now. And when everyone had that many expectations from him, he could not help but fear what would happen if everyone had to witness it yet again?

"I-ah…" in an attempt to speak, Ash suddenly screamed and Blue once again looked at him with suspicion. Gary was constantly shaking his head back and forth behind his father and at him, keep saying, _"Don't do it!"_ , but the boy did he listen. "I…I can't."

"Come again?"

Ash flinched under Blue's voice and Gary face palmed in disappointment. "I can't do it. I can't battle…I-ah…I'm sorry," Ash said regretfully and looked away. He could still feel Blue staring at him with his typical scary eyes while Gary was staring at him sympathetically.

"Why? What's the problem? I thought you loved battling. Don't you?" Blue asked. And that exactly was the problem. Blue did not know that Ash had long stopped battling. The only one aside him knew that was Gary. But even he could not help him now.

"I…uh," Ash tried to look for a valid excuse. He brought his hands behind him and they touched and passed his waist. And that's when he realized something. "I…I don't have any Pokemon at the moment," Ash admitted. "Look," he even raised his jacket from the side to show the belt. And truly, there was not a single Pokeball in the hanger. Blue furrowed his eyes. Despite the scary aura he was emitting, Ash was confident enough that he would not have to battle anymore.

But boy was he wrong!

"Oh, here you are Ash! I have been looking for you everywhere!" a new voice called. Ash turned around and saw that a middle-aged man was walking towards him. He was wearing a purple shirt and simple black pants. However, Ash knew it better than anyone that the looks can be deceiving. Despite his casual looks, the man was a popular researcher from Kalos region. "I heard that you are going to battle Gary in an exhibition match. I wanted to give this to you," he said as he approached to him. "Would it be alright if you use Froakie for this match?" Professor asked and offered a Pokeball to him.

Ash immediately frowned. He did not even have to look back to see that Blue was smirking and Gary let out a sigh of disappointment.

"Well. Looks like our little problem is solved, huh?" Blue spoke. "I will be watching the match with dad. I hope for a good battle from you two."

"Blue. How nice to see you here," Professor Sycamore greeted when he noticed the Kanto champion.

"It is nice to see you too, Professor Sycamore. I was thinking about seeing you," Blue replied. "And, thanks for your convenience. I think we will be watching a good battle today," he added. Ash could have sworn that Blue was enjoying that. He was always a step ahead of him.

"Yes. It will be," Professor said and then looked down at Ash again. "I wanted to observe it. Froakie had never listened to anyone before but it did seem to get along with you. It will be interesting to notice how it will turn out in a battle," he explained.

"I…I will be glad to help. Thank you very much," Ash said and bowed, albeit regretfully. He knew that the match will be interesting but not in the way everyone was expecting it to be.

* * *

"You what?!"

That was not the response Serena was expecting when she told her friends the truth. And more she felt surprised from the events unfolding, more confused she was getting and hence more anxious she felt. Just what was that she did not know going on here?

"Is there a problem with that?" Serena asked, "I can see that you are not so fond of him, but he is not a bad guy to begin with," she said.

"It sure must be a joke," Dawn said in disbelief.

"Sure is it," Lara admitted.

Serena was still confused, but the expressions she was receiving, she could not hold back her smile. "World is a big place isn't it?" she said in a giddy tone and giggled softly.

At that moment, Lara immediately jumped over her demandingly. "Tell me!" she yelled on her face and for a moment Serena lost all her senses. Even Dawn was bewildered at their new blue haired friend's antics. "What type of guy Ash was when he was a kid?!" she wrapped her arms tightly around her neck and Serena thought she was about to run out of breath.

"I'll…I'll tell you, just get off me! You will strangle me!" Serena protested.

"Lara! Let her go at least!" Dawn said and helped Serena to lose Lara's grip on her. With an apologetic look, Lara let go off Serena and she breathed a sigh of relief. "Seriously, girl. You are just a little too interested," Dawn said and placed her hands on her hips. Lara laughed nervously while rubbing the back of her head.

Serena finally took her eyes off her friends, her smile still present, and looked over at the crowd in front of her. Students from all around the school were gathered in the battlefield of the school. It was like a big stadium. Maybe auditorium. She wasn't sure what it was, but it sure was big, like a miniature version of an official Pokemon battlefield from Pokemon Leagues. As her eyes scanned everywhere, all she saw was the overexcited faces. Everyone was pumped up. She could not even believe they were all excited just for an exhibition match. Could that be Ash and Gary were that strong and skilled? As she thought of the possibility, she could not help but smile once again. She could not feel any more proud for having such huge support for her friend. Ash was always the eccentric one. Excited. Pumped up. To never give up. To never forget. To always smile. But the more she thought about it, more she remembered the changes she noticed in him.

" _What do you mean…that I have changed?"_

" _No. I don't remember you."_

" _Now stop following me around. I'm not escorting you and neither is it my job."_

What he said was inevitable. She had assumed the possibility of him forgetting her. And it was painful too. Does that mean she never meant anything to him? Or maybe it was possible that he was too occupied with his own life that he moved on? But he wasn't that type of boy. He would never forget his friends. Or maybe he was just too busy to remember her at the moment. It could be possible. She tried to enlighten her mood with that thought.

But then why? Why it hurt her so much? What was that ache? His words ringed in her head again. It wasn't what he said that mattered, but how he said, that mattered most. His voice was dry. His eyes were empty. So lifeless. So troubled. So lonely. What had happened in last ten years? What did she miss? What brought so many changes in him?

"Hey. Serena. Serena!" Lara shook Serena out of her trance.

"Wh-What?" her voice trembled a little as Lara continued to shake her. "Ok. Ok! I'm back! I'm back!"

"Geez. You were spacing out again. What were you thinking?" Dawn asked.

"Uh," Serena began to answer but when loud cheers erupted from everywhere, she shut down immediately. The three girls followed everyone's gaze and looked down at the field. Everyone's cheer erupted aloud and even Lara joined them. Dawn was refraining from yelling but she too seemed excited for what was coming out.

It was Ash and Gary, standing on the either sides of the battlefield. Gary had a confident look on his face. His one hand was resting on his hips and a Pokeball was in his other hand. On the other side was standing Ash. His eyes, as always, were hidden under the rim of his cap. His arms were standing straight with his stiff posture and he had a tight grip on his Pokeball. He was nervous. He knew that. But moreover, he was afraid. He still doubted that he could do it. Finally, he looked up. His eyes widened on noticing so many faces. Familiar, unknown, there was everyone. His eyes trembled, so did his soul. He gripped the Pokeball in his hand tighter, gritting his teeth. The emotional frustration he was coping with was too much for him to handle. And with the same trembling eyes, he finally looked upon a face, her blue eyes staring intently at him.

When he looked at her, she wasn't expecting it to be a long gaze. For some reasons, he did not look away but stared back at her. She felt her heart beating faster. The auburn eyes that she had missed for so long were completely hollow. There wasn't any excitement, any enjoyment in what he was doing. She could not help but wonder, does he even wanted to do it? Eventually, her friends also noticed his gaze and looked at Serena, confusion consuming them.

"He is looking at you," Lara whispered in her ear.

Serena did not reply but placed her hand on her heart. As Dawn stared back and forth between them, she started to realize that what Serena had told them before wasn't just a joke. Ash was her childhood friend after all. She could feel it under his gaze as well. But then, suddenly, a flame ignited in his eyes. The brightness returned. But Ash's eyes furrowed. An annoyed look took over and he sternly looked away from her. For a moment Serena wasn't even sure what was happening but then the scene of their encounter earlier that day appeared in her head. What had happened between them quickly fired up in the school and nearly everyone knew it now. No wonder that her friends did know it too.

With a teasing voice, Lara whispered, "Someone still looks mad," she said. Serena nervously laughed at that.

"I don't think it can be helped right now," Serena replied. Dawn stayed quiet but she did keep her eyes on Serena. She was curious. She wanted to know more. She wanted to learn more about these two. But prominently, she was worried for Serena as well. The honey blonde haired girl had no idea what she was calling for herself.

"This is an exhibition match between Ash and Gary. The battle will be one on one. There will not be any time limit!" the referee, which happened to be a student who decided to volunteer, said. He looked at the two sides; both the trainers had their eyes fixed on each other with a look of determination. With their consult, the referee raised his hands up and then pulled them down. "Begin!"

"Alright, Eevee, I choose you!" Gary yelled and threw the Pokeball forward. The capturing device fell on the simple battlefield and a small evolution Pokemon came out of it. Its small tail moved swiftly as it sat on its back feet. Its small black eyes were glancing at Ash and its ears were perked up, to immediately catch the command.

"I wasn't expecting you to go with Eevee," Ash said from the other side.

"I wasn't planning either. But I wanted to test your strength as well. Not gonna use my favorite already," Gary replied casually and shrugged his shoulders.

Ash smiled and grabbed the rim of his cap. The whole crowd of students got silent on that and Serena could not help but wonder what was happening. Grabbing the rim tightly, Ash turned his cap backward. Setting his feet on the ground, he threw the Pokeball as well. "Froakie! I choose you!"

The Pokeball made contact with the ground and popped open. What came out of it was a blue frog-like Pokemon. It shook its head and looked around; the sudden crowd completely surprised it and it tilted its head in confusion. The appearance of the water Pokemon caused another roar of cheers from every side of the field. The louder it was, the more confused Serena was getting.

"I never knew Ash had a Froakie," Lara said, astonished.

"Me neither," Dawn added.

"Can you tell what exactly is going on?" Serena asked, "I know it is a Pokemon battle and everyone loves it, but what's with all these yellings?"

"Didn't I tell you that Ash and Gary are top trainers of the school? Or they are supposed to be," Dawn said. Serena nodded her head, now understanding the fact. "The two haven't been against each other for a few years now," she told. "Everyone miss those battles. When Ash did that," Dawn stated, copying Ash's recent action of turning the cap around, "They simply could not hold themselves back."

"He has such a reputation in the school?" Serena gasped in astonishment.

"A lot," Lara replied this time. "Now look at the field. I am ready to bet you would never have seen a battle like this before," she said.

"Froakie!" Ash called out aloud. The water Pokemon looked behind and noticed the raven haired boy. Its bewildered expression vanished and it smiled. "I need your help, buddy. Lend me your strength. Fight with me! And I promise to help you out of this case!"

"What's he talking about?" Professor Oak wondered as he looked upon at the battle from the staff's chamber.

"He has made a bet," Professor Sycamore replied. Professor Oak and everyone else looked at him with interest. "He wasn't ready to battle so Blue made a proposal. If Ash wins this battle, Froakie can stay with him. Personally, I don't have any problem with it, but if any problem arises…I needed a confirmation that Ash is capable of taking care of it," he explained.

"Ash's attitude has changed very much in past few years. I would not blame him…But we need him in the team," Blue said. "He just needed a push to show his skills."

Froakie had its eyes widened as it stared at Ash. It even doubted for a moment that it even heard that correctly. But it got the confirmation when Ash once again said, "Froakie! Let's show everyone what you are made of!"

Determination filled its heart and its eyes furrowed with fire raging inside it. "Froakie!" the water Pokemon nodded and turned towards the Eevee.

"You haven't really changed that much, Ash," Gary said. Finally taking his hands off his hips, he raised his right hand forward. "Let's see the truth of it! Eevee, start with quick attack!" And with that command, Eevee started its assault, dashing towards Froakie with an unremarkable speed.

"Use double team, Froakie!" Ash commanded. There was brief disorder in Froakie and then suddenly a lot of Froakie appeared everywhere. They looked all so similar that it was hard to figure out which was the original one. The Froakie Eevee passed through turned out to be the copy of it. But it did not bother Gary and he gave another command.

"Don't sweat it! Get 'em all!"

"Eevee!" the evolution Pokemon grunted and made a sharp jump, still using the quick attack it started to ram into every copy.

"Not so fast! Use bubbles to stop it!" Ash yelled.

All the copies of the water Pokemon started pouring several water bubbles out of their mouth and towards the Eevee.

"Skit along the field! Use sand attack!" Gary yelled.

Eevee, through the gritted teeth, pressured its feet against the field and the friction caused by it, while performing the sand attack. A lot of sand started to fly up and countered the bubbles. It created a protective wall around Eevee and canceled out every bubble. When the dust settled down, Eevee was standing completely safe and sound and the copies of Froakie were gone too. The water Pokemon landed opposite to it.

"Wow, that Eevee sure has good reflexes," Dawn commented. "I'm seeing it after a long time as well. It is possible it might have gotten stronger by now."

"Now Froakie! Use water pulse!" Ash yelled.

"Don't let it! Use take down, Eevee!" Gary yelled the counter attack.

Froakie brought its hands together and formed a water orb in it. With a steady aim, it fired the water orb at the normal type that was heading right towards it. It was a direct hit and everything covered in a watery explosion. Water started raining down and there was no sign of Eevee. "Good job, Froakie!" Ash cheered.

"Not so fast, Ash," Gary said. Albeit confused, Ash looked back at the field and noticed that through the misty dust, Eevee was still running towards Froakie. Although the attack did damage to Eevee, it endured it and continued to charge against Froakie.

"Use quick attack to get out of there!" Ash yelled, but it was too late by then and with extreme force, Eevee rammed into Froakie, sending it flying back into the air.

"Use shadow ball!" Gary yelled. Setting its footing on the field, Eevee immediately concentrated a dark pulse in front of its mouth which changed into a ball and within a second, fired it at Froakie. The attack made a direct hit and Froakie once again flew back and crashed right in front of Ash's feet.

"Froakie no!" Ash yelled and concern was evident in his voice. But then to his horror, it started. His heart started to beat faster. He felt his feet getting weak and pain surged through him. Breathing rapidly, Ash stumbled on the spot. But he forced himself to stand straight. "Get up, Froakie! We need to win this!" Ash yelled through gritted teeth, his hands placed on his knees.

"Fro… Froakie!" the water Pokemon muttered weakly and tried to get up. Where there was pain, there was another expression Froakie was showing. Anger. But before Ash could do anything, Froakie was already charging towards Eevee mindlessly. It made a jump and prepared a water orb in its hand, firing it at the evolution Pokemon.

"Dodge it, Eevee!" Gary said. Eevee jumped backward and easily dodged the incoming attack which crashed against the field. Dust rose and covered the field. Gary smirked in satisfaction but that moment lived short. Without any warning, Froakie came out of the dust with its fist shining white and punched Eevee head on.

"Eevee!" Gary yelled worriedly as the normal type flew back and crashed on the ground several times before coming to a halting stop in front of his feet. "Are you okay?" Gary asked as he knelt down. The normal type merely grunted in response and got back on its feet in no time. The attack it took might be strong, but it had a greater endurance. It was hurting but it knew it could still go ahead. "Good," Gary nodded with a smile and looked up at Froakie. "Ash took us by surprise, but this time we will get them for sure," Gary said a stood up. "Use shadow ball!" Eevee formed a dark shadowy ball in front of its mouth and launched it at Froakie but the water Pokemon quickly jumped out of the way. "Keep doing it! Don't stop!"

"Get out of the way, Froakie!" Ash yelled. With the constant assault from Eevee following Froakie, the water Pokemon did not even listen to Ash and jumped right into it. "Froakie! Stop being naïve! Listen to my command!" Ash yelled but the water Pokemon yet once again ignored him. It opened its mouth and launched a powerful bubble attack. It collided with the incoming shadow ball and destroyed in with a huge explosion. But the water Pokemon did not even get a moment to breathe when another shadow ball came after it from within the dust. Before it could even realize it, the shadow ball hit it dead on and it was flying back in the air. Pain was surging through it. It felt like its whole body has gone numb. It could not move even an inch of its body like paralysis has struck it mercilessly. Now it was at the mercy of Gary. With it flying in the air completely defenseless, one more attack and it might not survive it at all.

The battle was over already.

Froakie felt itself crashing yet again. However, unexpectedly it did not hurt as much as it thought it would. Instead, it felt a pair of arms wrapping around it. With a feather-like body, Froakie experienced a free fall as it fell, but the ground never came in contact.

"Hey, you okay buddy?"

What it heard was the voice of Ash. It looked up and noticed that it was Ash who was holding it. In an attempt to cancel its fall, Ash had caught it but the excess force has sent him on the ground as well. A regretful look took over when it realized that Ash was hurt because of it. Due to the inability of landing a perfect hit on Eevee and its direct assault, Froakie lost its senses and decided to charge on it mindlessly. It could hear Ash screaming but it did not listen. It had gone through such things before. Those who choose it could never use to its full potential. They could not battle. They would never let it achieve what it could. And it stopped listening to them for that reason. And when it felt that even Ash was failing it did not see any reason to listen to him. But now that he was hurt, it realized how wrong it was. It did not mean to hurt its friend. Yet here he was.

"Hey. Stop giving me that look now," Ash interrupted its thought. When Froakie looked at Ash, it noticed him grinning at it.

"Fro?" Froakie looked up, the regretful look still present.

"Now listen to me, Froakie" Ash started, "There is a reason why this battle is important for us to win. We win and you will get to stay. But if we lose, everything is over. So you need to listen to me. Being stubborn is good, but sometimes you need to listen to others as well," Froakie had its eyes fixed on Ash as he spoke. It considered his words. It wasn't sure if it completely believed him or not, but if winning meant it would get to stay with Ash, there was nothing more it would ask for.

With a confident and understanding look, Froakie looked back at Ash and smiled, "Froakie!"

"Typical him," Dawn shook her head.

"He hasn't really changed that much," Serena said thoughtfully and smiled.

"He was always like this?" Lara questioned.

Serena nodded. "Yes. He has always loved Pokemon."

"Now. Let's get back into the game. We still need to defeat them," Ash said. Froakie nodded and hopped out of Ash's grip. It went back into the battlefield facing Eevee.

"I thought you were going to give up," Gary said.

"You know it better than anyone else. I won't give up! And we will win!" Ash raised his hand forward."Quick attack, Froakie! Go!"

"Counter with your quick attack!" Gary yelled.

The two Pokemon started running with immense speed. Their movements were very fast, thankfully still visible. Eevee was charging in a straight line but Froakie was going on a zigzag path. The two collided and the loud sound of their collision echoed throughout the battlefield. It was just now their sheer strength to prove which one was stronger.

As the battle continued, cheers erupted aloud from everywhere.

"Come on, Gary! Beat him!"

"You can do it, Ash!"

"Time to shine, Ash!"

"We are with you, Gary!"

The school was divided into two supporting groups and they were a little too over supportive of their favorite trainer. Their words were loud and with every clash, every explosion, every time one Pokemon was getting beaten, the cheers keep going louder and louder. Or perhaps it was just a fluke. Or maybe Ash was listening too much. He was constantly getting support from the people he never expected. The louder they cheered more their voices echoed and Ash started to lose his senses. His body trembled. His eyes shook. His lips pursed together and he gulped down heavily. Nervousness was getting better of him. Something was not right. Nothing was right!

"Use Trump Card!" Gary hollered.

Eevee prepared six consecutive glowing plates that surrounded it and fired it at Froakie. The water Pokemon stayed still at its position and looked back, expecting a counter command from Ash. But there was none. By the time Froakie realized it, it was too late already and the attack showered over it mercilessly. Froakie let out a loud grunt in pain and crashed down on the ground several times. But there was still no command from Ash.

"Use Charm now, Eevee!"

Eevee sat down on its back feet and stared at Froakie. Its eyes became softer and lowered down. "Eevee," it cried softly at its direction while making a cute face. Froakie could swear that it was watching stars glistening the background of the normal type and… and it was so adorable for it to look away, its intense fighting spirit softened right at the moment. It lowered down its guard as well.

"Take down! Go!" with the command, Eevee started to run wildly towards Froakie. The image of Eevee that had formed just a moment ago vanished immediately and Froakie prepared to counter back.

"Use bubbles…" there was some hesitation which did not go unnoticed by Froakie, but it prepared to perform the attack when- "No…No. Use pound!"

"Froakie?" the water Pokemon looked back in confusion and saw that Ash was having trouble even standing still. His whole body was trembling. Albeit that, Froakie made the decision and charged towards Eevee. The two Pokemon collided head on with Froakie punching Eevee's head with its glowing fist, but Eevee suddenly overpowered it and Froakie flew back. Using its reflexes, Froakie landed back on the ground and stared at its fist with bewildered eyes. The attack it just performed did less damage than it had expected. Could it be that its attack status was lowered by Eevee a moment ago?

"Charm reduces the opponent's attack status, Ash," Gary explained and placed his hands on waist. On hearing that Froakie gritted its teeth and stared at Eevee angrily. "Now, it's time to end this!" Gary said and raised his hand forward. "Use quick attack!"

Froakie adjusted its footing and prepared to brace itself for the impact as Eevee started to move with its remarkable speed towards it. It could swear that it was running faster than before. It hoped for Ash to come up with an effective counter-attack…but Ash never said anything.

The confused water Pokemon stared back at Ash from the corner of its eyes. He was still bewildered. He wasn't moving at all. "Froakie! Fro-Froakie!" the water Pokemon cried desperately to call Ash out of his trance but it did no good at all. By the time Ash gained his senses back Eevee had already landed its strike on Froakie and the water Pokemon flew back on the field. It crashed several times on the field and it hurt it, but it still spun back and stood straight again.

Watching Froakie getting beaten like that, it sure hurt a lot. But what haunted him was much scarier. He was desperate to get free of all this madness but nobody would do anything. Nothing would help him out. The constant cries from the audience kept bringing the memories back, memories that he did not wish to see, to share with anyone. The fire ignited. Voices were echoing in his head. The situation was only getting worse for him.

"No. No-No-No-No-No! Stop it," he muttered under his breath but nobody would listen to him.

"Quick attack! Again!" when Gary gave another command, Froakie knew that enough was enough. Whatever was happening to Ash was leaving a negative impact on the battle as well. He was not giving commands at all. If he tried to, he was hesitating and Froakie was unable to fight with its full potential. It wasn't the time for it to defend itself anymore. It had to go offensive and now!

As Eevee dashed towards it, Froakie launched itself forward and countered with a hoard of water bubbles. The unexpected attack completely took Eevee off guard and it went right through it. Not only did it reduced its speed and canceled the attack, but it gave Froakie an opening as well. Taking complete advantage of it Froakie prepared a water blob and fired it at the evolution Pokemon.

"Quick! Get out of there!" Gary yelled and Eevee moved swiftly on the command, nearly dodging the incoming attack. Froakie, however, still did not stop and went after it with its fist glowing white. "Counter with Trump Card!" Gary commanded. Eevee prepared the glowing blades again that surrounded it and with a cry, launched it at Froakie. The water Pokemon bravely decided to take them all head on. Using its fist it managed to cancel and destroy the first two blades, but the number overpowered it and the remaining blades crashed against it. With a cry of pain, Froakie sailed in the air once again.

Ash's condition was getting worse with every moment. He could clearly see the happenings in front of him, but despite his will, he could not help Froakie. He wanted to help but he did not know how to. Voice would not get out of his throat. He was tied down. The voices were still echoing through his head, haunting him. On the battlefield, Eevee prepared some glowing stars and sent it towards Froakie. The water Pokemon could not even fight back and the attack completely overwhelmed it, sending it high in the air. Eevee went after it and when it was in front of it, it started to prepare the shadow ball. Time seemed to stop as he witnessed the scene. Froakie was already too exhausted and while flying in the air like that, completely stunned, it was defenseless. That attack would finish everything! So gathering everything he had left inside him, Ash let it all out.

"Just stop it!"

Even through the loud audience, his desperate cry was heard by everyone. Even Serena heard it. Ash was breathing rapidly and from the look of it, he might even collapse at any moment. Even Froakie heard the yell and looked behind. Its eyes were wide in horror already but that desperate cry completely pulled its attention. Gary heard the shout as well. Something had happened. Something had snapped something inside Ash. And he knew exactly what it was. He gritted his teeth and raised his hand forward.

"Eevee! Stop it!" he yelled.

But it was too late already. By the time the command escaped his lips, Eevee had already fired the shadow ball. The closer proximity of the two Pokemon dealt a huge deal of damage on Froakie. An explosion that could even rival one from the official battles from the leagues, Froakie took the direct hit and absorbing all the impact, it went flying back in the air. Crashing against the field, it landed in front of Ash. But it never showed any sign of movement. Its whole body was full of burnt marks and scratches. Its eyes were closed. It was done for. The battle was already over.

Noticing no movements from Froakie, the referee raised his hand towards the right and declared, "Froakie is unable to battle! Thus the winner of the match is Eevee and Gary!"

The whole school erupted into a loud cheering. From one particular section girls kept hollering " _Gary! Gary! You are the best!_ " over and over again. Amidst the scene, the cheering soon died down when they noticed something unexpected.

Ash fell on his knees. His eyes were wide in horror as he stared at Froakie's lifeless body. He raised his hand with the Pokeball to return the poor Pokemon, but it was harder than anyone could think. His whole body was trembling. His soul was breaking. He shut his eyes tight and threw the Pokeball away, running away from the field. Before anyone could understand what just happened, he was completely gone and the once lively battle stadium was now silent as dead.

* * *

Walking through the long corridor, Serena tried to look for her friends that she was separated from. Ever since the battle ended, the whole school looked inappropriate and for a moment she doubted that it was the same school she had heard so much about. Students were everywhere in the corridor, either wandering around or talking. With the brief absence of teachers, the place did not seem like school at all. And it made her curious too. What could have caused Professor Oak to call an urgent meeting that they did not even worry about the indiscipline that would occur in school? Either way, it wasn't her first priority right now. So ignoring everyone, she made her way towards the place she had not checked yet.

Infirmary.

As she neared to her destination, she realized that there were very less amount of students around. Only a few were visible to her. But again, it was the last place anyone would want to visit during the school time.

Her steps abruptly stopped when she heard something. Someone was talking aloud but before she could even get to hear anything properly, the voice died down and she heard the voice of footsteps coming her way. Unsure of how to act, Serena stopped on her track, intently looking at who was coming in front of her. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Just a pathetic loser I am, damn it!" with the venomous voice Ash punched the wall beside him. His frustration was evident in his voice and act. Humiliation was never the best thing, to begin with, and after losing in such a way, showing everyone what he did not desire at all, Ash was completely devastated. He had already run away before anyone could understand anything. His actions showed poor sportsmanship. Everyone would now think that he ran because he was too desperate and weak that he could not even accept a defeat. But the reason was something else and nobody knew it. And ever since then Serena did not see him at all. No one did. But now that she thought about it, it made sense. This way not only led to infirmary but the staff's room as well. Even all the Pokemon that are used in battles are healed that way.

 _Of course, he was with Froakie all this time!_

Finally, Ash looked up and noticed that Serena was standing in front of him. He was breathing heavily and his chest was moving in the constant sync with his breathing rate. His eyes furrowed and he looked down. He used the rim of his cap to hide his eyes and began to walk away and without consulting the girl, he passed her. Serena wanted to stop him badly and even her hand moved, going right after him, but then she stopped. There was something wrong about everything. It was like he was emitting a weird aura to keep everyone away from him. And it perfectly worked on Serena as well. Before she knew it, he was gone.

Her eyes lowered and she found herself lost in her thoughts. The more she thought about it, more mysterious it was getting. Something about that battle did not feel right. Ash was giving a fair competition to Gary and the battle was enjoyable too. But then something happened.

" _Just stop it!"_

His scream filled her ears. From other's view, it felt like that Ash was giving a command to Froakie. But in their own amusement, they did not notice how his voice sounded. Hollow. Feared. Haunted. She could describe it with these words only. Something wasn't right. It wasn't the battle that worried him, but something else had made him scream. Something that he could not resist or hold back.

"Ash! Ash, where are you?" a new voice came out of nowhere and broke Serena's trance. When she turned around she noticed that it was Gary running towards her. On noticing her, he briefly stopped in front of her. "Hey. Have you seen Ash somewhere?" he asked. Serena silently nodded and turned into the direction opposite to her. Gary noticed her gaze and smiled gratefully. "Thanks. I owe you one," he said and proceeded on the way.

Serena could only stare back at him with amusement as the brunette disappeared around the corner where Ash had gone not too long ago.

* * *

"Professor Oak?" Ash called aloud as he walked up the stairs of Oak's laboratory. The school was long over and it was evening now. The sun was about to settle down for the day. "Professor!" Ash called out aloud as he walked further inside the laboratory. After climbing up the stairs, he made his way inside Professor's lab where he generally worked but to his surprise, the old man wasn't there. "Where could he be now?" Ash wondered to himself and walked out of the lab, proceeding down in the hall.

Ash was very close to the Oaks. Everyone here treated him like family so it was only typical of him to act like at home. When Ash entered the hall, with an exhaustive sigh, he fell down on the couch. "Such an exhaustive day," he said to himself. He was using his right hand to massage his left shoulder and then proceeded with the other shoulder. The events of the day were still fresh in his mind. With a more composed mind, he decided to look upon the events of the day. The battle he had with Gary. But if being honest with him, Ash felt he would have managed to ignore it if _that girl_ hadn't shown up and stopped him at the wrong time.

"Oh well," he muttered with a heavy sigh, "Can't blame her for everything. Ignoring Blue is harder anyway."

Gary did try to help him out of the situation but even the poor guy was unable to protest against his father. Such a man Blue was. But still, he was a good mentor and a father. He was the one who taught Gary how to battle and the boy was clearly following his father's footsteps. Despite his interests in other things, he was a good battler. Ash would not deny it. That guy was always smiling, fooling around. He was really a good friend nonetheless. Was it because he always had his father with him?

A small smile that had come over a moment ago, faded.

Would he be like that as well if he had his father with him? His mother with him? His family with him? Ash reluctantly looked up; his eyes gazed longingly on the big photo frame that completely covered the wall. It was a huge photo of Oak and Ketchum families and one more couple that he did not recognize. Blue and Gary, of course, were absent. Following Professor Oak and Daisy, he looked at another couple that was there. A brunette woman with blue eyes and a blonde man; it had been so long that he barely even remembered them.

At last, his eyes shifted between them and he noticed what he desired most. His father and mother. Standing up from the couch, Ash walked to the frame and placed his hand softly over it.

"Mom, dad," he whispered softly, his eyes glistening and shaking. He took a long, shaky breath and shook his head. There were two kids down in the photo as well, but that did not concern him. That's what he thought until he glanced at them. There was a young raven haired boy standing there, beaming brightly. His one hand was extended forward with the fingers forming a victory sign. Next to him was standing a young girl, her shoulder length honey blonde hair covered in a straw hat and her blue eyes were glistening happily. She had grabbed one of his hands and stood next to him, behind were their parents.

Realization hit him hard when his past caught up with him and recalled the face. "Isn't it…?" he gasped in surprise. Her blue eyes appeared in his mind, her words started ringing in his head. Her desperate and futile attempts of chasing him; as he recalled them he could not help but frown. "She wasn't lying…" he whispered to himself. "Even so." However, even then he could not feel any different. What she said, it does not bother him at all. It does not affect him at all. He did not remember her at all. And it was better to keep it that way. He did not want any more trouble or anyone to get troubled.

As Ash slowly moved his hand over their photo, his hand stopped where their hands were clasped together. He felt something there. He had never inspected the frame this closely before but has always wondered what caused Professor Oak to use such a gigantic frame out of all the things? And now his curiosity was getting better of him again. Feeling up the distance between their hands, Ash finally pushed it. With a cracking sound, the frame suddenly moved. Cutting along the path that was tracing _their_ hands it cut opened in such a way that the two kids had their hands separated completely from each other. The frame was divided into a huge door that shifted on either side and opened up, revealing a room that Ash had never seen before.

It was a completely dark room. But there was a source of light inside, albeit not what he expected it to be. There was big relic inside the room that was emitting light out of it. It felt royal. It felt warm, and it was irresistible to him. Ash mindlessly stepped inside and walked towards the relic. It was a big rock and there was something written over it. But as he eyed it, he realized he was unable to read it. He did not know what language it was. Despite the uncomfortable feeling, he was getting from the relic, his curiosity did not die. His hand moved forward and he slowly placed it on the relic.

But he regretted it immediately.

The relic immediately caught fire and all the letters over it started to shine. A loud scream echoed throughout the room. The fire, instead of burning him, started haunting him. The flames ignited something inside him, something so familiar, so powerful, yet so scary. It literally scared him.

"No- No- No- No- No- No!" panic consumed him, "No! Don't do it! Stop it! Please!" it wasn't the pain that hurt him, but a memory was there haunting him. There was something different about those flames that he could not describe. It sent an alienated feeling through his spine.

"Ash! Are you here?" Professor Oak's words called him. He was walking towards the room. Ash was growing anxious now, worried too. What if Professor Oak saw him like that? "Ash, Professor Sycamore wants to talk to you about Froakie. Come on down no-Ash! What are you doing?!" a panicked shriek escaped his throat when he witnessed Ash, completely covered in flames. "Ash, step back now! It is too dangerous!" Professor yelled.

"I…I can't!" Ash yelled back. "I can't free my hands! They are stuck!" and it wasn't a lie. His hands were literally stuck on the relic. Something was refraining him from letting go of it. He could not break free of the invisible grip around him. Professor Oak rushed to his side and grabbed his arms. The flames immediately started burning him and his skin turned red. But enduring the pain, Professor Oak gritted his teeth and pushed Ash with all his might. With a loud grunt, Ash finally broke free off the relic and the two fell down on the floor. The flames that had ignited the whole room suddenly vanished leaving everything harmless. Even the sleeves of Professor's lab coat were unharmed, although there were slightly burnt marks on his hands. But they did not seem major at all, which was really surprising.

But more mysterious was the fact that Ash could still feel the flames. And it was residing inside him. No. It wasn't. Something had awakened inside him that has always been there. He just could not feel it before but its presence was completely evident now. But to his horror, it was something he had been trying to suppress. Instead, it had evolved into something big now. Whatever it was, was finally awakened. And the royal and fierce flame it was igniting was releasing an overwhelming pressure. It turned out to be too much for Ash and with a loud scream echoing in his head, he lost his consciousness and darkness consumed him.

* * *

Serena clutched her chest, feeling an overwhelming ache in her heart. She coughed and fell down on the bed. An overwhelming pressure was strangling her and when she closed her eyes, she saw fierce flames completely igniting everything and from within it raised someone. It was huge and had a pair of wings. Beautiful. But disastrous. Its eyes opened, sheer red as blood, and shone. With the flaps of its wings, the fire started to expand before illuminating everything.

Serena opened her eyes, breathing heavily. Sweat was rolling down her forehead to her chin. She could not feel her body for a moment as if it had gone numb. But her senses returned slowly. With her shaky hand, she reached out for the bottle that was placed on the table alongside her bag. She opened it and gulped down a long sip of the drink. The cool drink wet her dry throat and she felt like before once again. She placed the bottle back on the table and sighed deeply, her hand placed on her heart.

Her eyes furrowed as she tried to recall the vision again. "I haven't seen it in for a long time…then why now?" she questioned to herself, mystery shrouding her heart. She fell back on the bed and laid there. The sudden exhaustion completely wore her out and she already felt like sleeping. Her thoughts keep returning to the vision. As much as fierce it was, she had always found it haunting. That scream, that fierce presence, whatever it was had always scared her. She tried not to think about it, but it was harder than she had thought. Despite it she somehow managed to change her thoughts, only to return to something complicated once again.

She started recalling the day's events. The battle between Ash and Gary, the sudden change in events and the humiliating loss. She even remembered her brief encounter with him. But no matter how much she tried not to think about it, it really bugged her.

"Could it be possible?' she thought to herself and turned around on the bed, placing her chin on her crossed arms. Her eyes lowered as she thought, "Does Ash don't remember me at all?"

* * *

 **So, there was more than just battling into this chapter. What was it? I can tell you, but wouldn't it ruin the surprise for you? What I suggest is keep reading and find out. Of course, you are free to share your opinion and theories in the review section.**

 **Just in case someone might have wondered why Eevee practically overpowered Froakie, that is because Eevee is currently at the stage where it could easily evolve into a powerful Umbreon. Basically, the basic status of Gary's Umbreon from anime and Eevee are similar here with slightest different. Yep. Gary is a badass trainer here and you will get badass battling scenes in future, rather than this easy one.**

 **So the question that is remaining now is what actually happened to Ash? How came he lost the battle so easily when he was giving a good competition? Do you realize that suddenly giving such poor performance and sportsmanship is determined to stain your personality right? Well, it might happen with Ash now. But what was the cause? And what will be its consequences?**

 **To know the answers to all these questions, stay tuned and wait for the next update that might come out in late April or early May (nearly two weeks). I will be expecting your feedbacks so please, this time, don't disappoint me. It is disheartening.**

 **See you later.**


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N:**

 **Hey, everyone. Another chapter for you. And let me just say it, considering the events of the previous chapter this might have a slower pace and seemingly softer content. So just go ahead and dig in.**

* * *

"Hey…"

"No."

"But…"

"No."

"At least…"

"No."

"But I haven't even said anything!"

"Doesn't matter. It's still a no!"

"Oh, come on!" Serena moaned in annoyance. "Since when did you become like this?"

"Ever since you started following me!" Ash yelled back in response

"Rude!" she huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. Ash gritted his teeth in annoyance. His hand clenched into a fist. He wanted to say something back. He wanted to retort. But he could not. Eventually, he managed to calm down a bit. Ignoring her, he turned around and began to walk away. Watching him disappearing from her sight, Serena once again rushed after him. "Wait for me at least!" and hearing her, Ash was sure he just wanted to run away from there. He still could not believe how he ended up in this situation. Did he even call for it? As far as he remembered, he did not.

It has been over a week since the battle between Ash and Gary. As expected, it was a subject of gossip everywhere. Unexpectedly, for a short while only. It changed immediately since the students of Kanto High started to notice and open up to Serena. And they could not even miss how much desperate she was while chasing Ash. Hardly anyone could believe what they were seeing. Is Serena Gabena chasing after a boy just within a week of her transferring here? The boy of many mysteries and someone everyone tried to ignore? There was a new feeling rising in the many boys' heart. Jealously. Of course, nobody knew her story. Their story. But could they help it?

"Why do you even bother?" Dawn muttered disappointingly, still not seeing a point chasing the raven haired boy. However, Serena did not even listen to her and once again rushed after the boy before he could disappear. As Serena started to take a long lead from her, Dawn could not help but sigh. "That girl."

Desperately rushing through the hallways, Ash tried to look for a place to hide when he felt someone grabbing him and before he could look at the culprit, he was pulled inside a room. Startled, Ash looked behind him and saw that it was Gary, grinning at him widely. But before he could even greet his friend, Ash quickly got back on his feet and pushed him inside completely and quickly closed the door behind. Keeping it open a little, Ash peered out and saw the honey blonde haired girl was standing just outside the room. Her eyes were still desperately looking for him and for once, he could swear she looked at him, but he quickly moved away before she would suspect and finally giving up, she walked away. Once that she was out of his sight, he finally breathed out in relief.

"Wow. Never thought you would be running from someone else besides my dad," Gary muttered in amusement.

"Don't even start with me," Ash replied with annoyance. Now that he was pretty much relieved, he took a look of the room they were in. It was a closet. "Why are we in here again?"

* * *

"Let me see," Ash muttered to himself as his hand traced the books neatly placed on the shelf. His eyes narrowed as he tried to search for a particular one. But after reaching a certain point he stopped, his eyes furrowed. "Maybe," he muttered and took a few steps back and his finger stopped on a particular old looking book. Reading its title quickly he pulled it out. As he expected, it was old and there was a little dirt on it. Clearly, the book has not been used for a long time. He grasped the only strap of his side bag as he walked to a nearly empty table while keeping his eyes on the book. Noticing that there was not anyone who would interrupt him, Ash took his seat and placed his bag around. He blew the dust off it and then glanced at it, reading the title.

Ancient Ruins of Johto.

Ash opened the book and quickly scanned the index section before moving forward. He skimmed through several pages and then finally he came to a particular section. Ruins of Alph. He read in his mind and skimmed through a few more pages before he finally stopped to a particular section. There was an image of an ancient language on the wall that he has could hardly read. Surprisingly, it was very familiar. His eyes lowered further on the page as he silently read the content, his anxiety increasing and his eyes furrowing further. Strange. He thought to himself. Taking his bag back, he brought out his Pokegear and scrolled through the gallery. When he found a particular image, he opened it and placed it over the book, his eyes once again going through the book's content.

He was so lost in his thought that he did not even notice a presence behind him that was standing there for a while. Someone leaned over him from behind, placing their hands on his shoulder while looking at the book with interest.

"Not now, Gary. I'm busy," Ash said. His nose then sniffed when he smelled a distinct smell. Since when did Gary start wearing such a fruity deodorant?

"Are you interested in ruins?"

"Not again," annoyance filled his voice immediately when her voice rang in his head. Couldn't she just leave him alone? What has he done to suffer so much anyway? Why don't she just leave him be? "Go away," he muttered.

"Aww. Don't be so mean, Ash," Serena said in a hurt voice and took her hands off his shoulders.

"Go into your damn class. I don't have time for you!" Ash said, making sure not to yell to disturb the other students who were currently occupying the library.

"I have a free trail silly," she replied giddily and sat next to him. "We have the same schedule. Did you forget?"

Ash groaned in annoyance. Why did she have to choose the same classes as him? All he was asking for was some alone time right now. "Blondie," he whispered under his breath.

"What are you looking at?" Serena said, clearly did not hear Ash. She looked in the book and then at the image on Ash's Pokegear. There was something written over it and in the same language as that of the image in the book. "Let me see that," she said and scooted closer to him. She crossed her legs and her knees brushed against his due to their closer proximity. Her arm was completely touching his and she was practically leaning on him now. For a moment, Ash glanced at her weirdly. Does she even realize what she was even doing?

"Move aw-"

"I know this," she suddenly interrupted before he could even complain his discomfort. "I mean I think. I have read it before. It is an ancient language. No one is really sure where it is originated from but research on it is still going on. See, this is the alphabet F, and this one is I. Between them is, I think it is R… This is a word. Yes. F. R. I. E. N. D. Friend. Yes that it is," Ash stared at her in complete astonishment as she said, his mind could not even process if she was lying or not. Serena once again looked down at the Pokegear and pulled it to her along with the book. She took a brief glance of it and then reached out for her small red bag. She brought a rough notebook out and then randomly opened it before starting writing something on it.

"FR IEN DSU BET ENO INO CHIHA BE TS U NOI NOC HI TODE AI NA NIK AWO UM IDA SU," Ash tried to read whatever she was writing, and clearly he was failing because Serena started laughing. It annoyed Ash but even he knew how ridiculous it sounded. He could not help but blush in embarrassment.

"It's not what you think it is, Ash. You are reading it wrong," she told him.

"Then what does it says?" Ash demanded, still annoyed.

"It says, FRIEND SUBETE NO INOCHI HA BETSU NO INOCHI TO DEAI NANIKA WO UMIDASU," Ash could not help but continued to stare at her, his eyes blinked blankly.

"And…?"

"Well, FRIEND here is the normal word friend, it looks like that way or it won't make any sense," and then she continued to explain the meaning of rest of the words, and finally, came out the meaning of it. "It says that: friend when every life meets another life, something will be born."

Ash looked back down at the image again then looked in her notebook and then made a mental note of it. He pretty much understood how she managed to read it. The problem with him was that he did not know a lot of languages from all around the world to understand that content by his own. It made him wonder how many more languages she knew.

"I guess it helped?"

Ash looked at her from the corner of his eyes and she smiled at him sweetly. He furrowed his eyes and looked away in annoyance. "I did not ask for your help. Now go away," he muttered.

"Why you have to be so mean…" she moaned, her voice sounded childish. As she looked at him she realized that he wasn't going to thank her at all. It wasn't that she did it for his gratitude. She just wanted to talk to him. It doesn't seem like it would continue like this. She then came up with something that would help her keep this conversation alive. "Professor Juniper's lecture was really interesting today. But I did not expect you to study about it in so depth…" she said, clearly having no effect on the raven haired boy. "How about I help you out with it? We have a few more free trials..."

"Go away."

Serena huffed and pouted at his straightforward denial. "Mean," she muttered. But no matter how many times she said that he wasn't reacting at all.

"What's up, Ashy boy? Didn't expect to see you in the library. Normally you would be wandering around somewhere."

Never in his whole life had Ash felt this good to hear this familiar voice. While chuckling, Gary made his way towards Ash.

"School project…" Ash replied.

"Isn't it too early for you though?"

"You have to keep the track of everything I do," Ash muttered in annoyance. Gary could not help but chuckle at the raven haired boy. "What are you doing here? Aren't you missing your class?"

"Yeah, sort of. I am skipping the class today," he replied.

"Professor won't be really happy," Ash muttered.

"Worrying is not your job, man," Gary said and took a seat next to Ash, or to be precise, tackled him intentionally and in return Ash crashed against Serena.

"Ouch!" she yelped when their heads collided. Her voice brought the attention of Gary who noticed Serena for the first time.

"You are Serena, right?" he started. Rubbing her head to soothe the pain, Serena nodded. "Gramps were asking for you earlier today," he told.

"Professor Oak? For me?" she questioned.

"Yep," Gary nodded in affirmative. "He said he wanted to talk. I think he is free right now. You should go see him."

"I…um," Serena glanced at Ash who did not seem interesting in her at all. Maybe this wasn't the good time to peruse him. He wasn't even in the mood. She stood up and turned to Gary. "Thank you," she said and turned to Ash then. "We still need to talk, okay?" she said, smiling sweetly at him.

"Just go away," Ash said in a muffled voice. Serena simply smiled wider before walking away as Gary looked back at her until she disappeared from his eyes. He then turned back to Ash who somehow managed to get some distance from him. He placed his hands on the table and buried his head in them. "Stupid. Blondie."

"Really. What are you going to do without me?"

"Die?" Gary snickered at Ash's response before scooting next to him again, bringing his head near him so no one else would hear them.

"So. Who is she?"

"You know her already. Why are you asking me?"

"I mean what is she to you?"

Ash briefly looked up at him before once again hiding his face in his arms. "Just some random girl who claims to know me," he muttered, his voice still muffled. "And don't even ask how. I'm too tired." Gary snickered again as if finding it funny while Ash simply chose to ignore him.

* * *

"Excuse me, Professor Oak," Serena called politely as she stood on the door of the principal chamber. "Did you call me?"

"Ah, yes," Professor Oak beamed brightly on seeing Serena. "Please come in," he said. Serena stepped inside, closed the door behind and walked to the old professor. "Please take a seat."

"So what did you call me for?" the honey haired girl asked.

"I was checking your profile," Professor Oak began and brought a folder up. He opened it and then placed it forward such that Serena could see and read everything. "I noticed that you used to do performing when you were back in Kalos."

"Yeah. I did," Serena nodded. "Performances originated from Kalos after all."

"Exactly," Professor Oak said. "And that is why I want to ask you something. If I tell you that you can perform here too, what would you do?" Serena stared blankly at Professor Oak for a moment, could not believe what she was hearing.

"I… I did not get what you mean," she said, analyzing that there was more than just performing into the situation.

"You see. Since performances are originated in Kalos, it only normal for the regional performers to be naturally better. As a simple man, I think it is a good thing, but as a Principal of this school, it is a bit troublesome for me."

"Is… there anything I can help you with?"

"Yes," Professor Oak nodded. "You do know about the tournament that happens every year between schools of every region?" Serena nodded, now getting to the point. "I want you to take part in it as a contender of this school. We are hosting the tournament this year so I want the students of this school to give their best."

"I understand," Serena nodded, smiling. "I would love to help you. I will perform as a contender of this school. Although…" she paused briefly and Professor Oak curiously looked at her. "I might need some time to practice. I haven't performed in a long time."

"Don't worry about that," Professor Oak replied. "Take all the time you need. I am just glad that you agreed."

Serena thought about the tournament that Professor Oak just mentioned. Now that she thought about it, there are a few things she wanted to ask him as well, about the tournament. "Professor. I was just wondering, by any chance, is Ash going to participate in the tournament as well?" There was brief silence in the room after that.

Serena still remembered the battle between Ash and Gary. Ash showed that he was a talented young trainer with the capability to win a lot of battles. However, something happened during that battle that she still could not get out of her mind. Ash was reacting oddly, like something was haunting him, preventing him from battling. She still remembered when they were kids he used to say when he would grow up he would become a Pokemon Master. He had always wanted to be a trainer. But now that he was a trainer, what could be that prevented him from moving forward? Of course, he would not tell even if she would ask him. Nor that the things were normal between them anyway so it would be futile either way.

Professor Oak then stood up and walked to the window, his eyes gazing outside. Serena only looked after him, her eyes following his steps. "I am not sure either. But I hope he would," he said. "But there a few things he needs to get over first."

"Is…" Serena was confused. Could it be what she was thinking? "Is Ash afraid of something?"

"Possibly," Professor Oak replied and turned around, smiling at her as he continued. "There are some secrets he doesn't like to share. He does not tell me either. Maybe you can ask him? He would tell you. You are good friends after all."

"Well, on that…" Serena's sweat dropped on recalling her daily persuasions and how Ash would avoid him. "I think it might take some time as well. But I will see if I can do something about it."

"I will be counting on you, Serena," Professor Oak said and Serena nodded.

"I won't disappoint you," Serena said and then bowed down. "I would go now," she said and began to walk out with a happy smile after Professor Oak nodded. It wasn't that Professor Oak made things any easier between her and Ash, but he gave her more reasons and excuses to stick by his side and peruse him some more. Although she did not like doing it to him and neither did she love his behavior towards her, but she did find it somewhat funny. Giggling to herself, Serena exited the room and headed out, not caring that she left the door open.

And deep within her own world, she did not even notice someone standing near the door who was listening to her conversation with Professor Oak. When the door closed, behind it stood Gary Oak, his arms crossed, back leaning against the wall and a neutral look on his face. A lot of things were going through his mind, but one thing was certain, that he had found a door to enter this yet another interesting case to solve.

"Friends, huh?" he muttered to himself, recalling his grandfather's words from earlier and smirked. "This is gonna be interesting."

* * *

 **I wonder what you are gonna deduce from everything that happened. The message (or whatever you would like to consider it) Serena translated and read was in Japanese. It shows one of the things Serena can do. Yep. She knows multiple languages, or n this case, ancient languages. Useful, isn't it?Gary, Gary.**

 **Gary, Gary, Gary. Just what are you up to my boy? Truly. When I first started watching Pokemon around ten years ago, this guy wasn't my favorite character but of course, I always admired how strong and passionate he was. And after growing up, I noticed that he is far better than Ash in many departments. Then why is it that people tend to love Ash more? And me too? It is simple. Because the best characters are ones that act cool or charismatic but are actually completely goddamn losers.**

 **And now that you have read my confession, be ready to read the awesomeness of this Palet teen that you will love immensely. So I will see you two weeks from now. Until then, review and keep supporting me.**


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N:**

 **Hey, guys. I actually thought I was gonna be late. I nearly forgot about the update. Well. I still have it here for you. Just. As. Promised. Enjoy.**

* * *

"Hey," Serena muttered in a low voice and shook the boy next to her. Ash lowered his eyes. His body was stiff but surprisingly very sensitive to her touch as well. The moment her hand rested on his shoulder he knew he was about to explode. Say it. Say it you damn Blondie! You will regret it! He thought in his mind. And then the inevitable happened and she spoke, "Are you sleepy?"

A chuckle erupted from his other side where Gary was sitting and his face literally fell on the table in front of him. On looking at him everyone on the table started laughing and never in his life had Ash felt an urge to hate someone so deeply. He was about to respond back - not in a very friendly way - when he realized he could not. He was too tired to even say something back. Although he hated to admit it, but in the past couple of weeks he had gotten used to Serena constantly nagging him. Of course, she still did not get what she wanted from him and kept chasing him everywhere he went, but he did not have to keep running now knowing that it was futile. If being honest, he had never seen someone so passionate before.

Gary, who was sitting on his other side, was trying to console his friend while still trying to control his laughter.

"How did I end up here again?" Ash muttered, his voice sounded muffled as his head rested on the book. He did not even need an answer as he recalled the unfortunate decision Gary made on his behalf. Earlier today during the history class Professor Juniper suggested that students should make a group and complete their weekly assignment as soon as possible. Of course, it wasn't a mandatory step and Ash had always ignored it. However, the situation wasn't same this time and things went downhill for him when Gary suddenly announced - on behalf of Ash in fact - that they need someone to work with them. As much as surprising it was for everyone, it was an opportunity that Serena would not let go. Forcing Dawn to tag along with her, Serena agreed and Ash was now forced to work with Gary, Dawn, and Serena. Ash turned his face and looked at Gary from the corner of his eyes.

"I said that you would like it," Gary said on noticing Ash looking at him, now somehow calmed.

"Yup. Thanks a lot, idiot," and with that, he once again looked down at the table, his head still resting on the book. "But why her?" he muttered. Either was it his luck or she needed something, Serena finally got up from her seat next to Ash and wandered in the library.

On not noticing her next to him anymore, sighing deeply, Ash once again sat straight and looked down at the book. History of Kanto. It read. He narrowed his eyes knowing that he wasn't interested a bit. But he wasn't feeling like just sitting there and doing nothing. Just then he recalled he still hadn't got to finish his personal assignment. He could do that in the meantime. So making the decision he quickly grabbed his bag and searched for his Pokegear into it. When he found it, he pulled it out, started it and scrolled through the image directory. When he found the image he needed he opened it and then placed the Pokegear on the table. He grabbed a rough notebook out of his bag and opened a specific page from behind where he had written several things in a language that, truthfully, he did not understand himself either.

"I might need that book again. Or maybe a translator," he muttered to himself and was about to stand up and go look for it when suddenly an open book came in front of him from above. Ash blinked several times before realizing what he was seeing and the fact that it was hovering in front of him. The familiar fruity smell and the soft hair hovering over his shoulder and around his chin were enough to tell him who it could be.

"You need this?" she said sweetly.

"Go away," Ash muttered.

"Aww. Don't be so mean. I searched it for you," she said, her lips pursuing in a silly pout at his rejection. Ash had never known that this height of awkwardness was even possible. He might actually learn to get used to her if he did not do anything soon. He did not need another Gary constantly nagging him. Even through his thoughts, her childish antics were very annoying that he could hardly ignore. But he wasn't the one to give in. Quickly taking all of his stuff back in the bag, he stood up and left the library before Serena could even force the thought in her mind to follow him.

* * *

Frustration was merely an understatement to describe how Ash was feeling at the moment. He had never been so mad at anyone before. He did not know if it was fate or something but he did not find strength enough to fight back. And Serena would not let her go either. And the worst part was that she was being so useful to him in past couple of days that he hardly could let her go as well. Everything was contradicting each other in a way that he found himself stuck in a loop he could not get out of.

"Talk about the fate," he muttered under his breath as he opened his locker and started gathering requirements for his next class.

"Well, well, well. Look who we have got here," a new voice rang in the silent corridor. "Poor little lonely boy."

There was a small laughter after his comment, however, Ash merely paid him any attention and continued with his job. Once he had taken the required books he closed the locker and just as he expected he was standing behind the door and next to him. Ash only looked at him for a second before he turned away and walked past him. The blue haired boy blinked for a few seconds before registering the fact that Ash had just straightforward ignored him. An annoyed look took over his face as he spun around and followed the raven-haired boy.

"That was a good battle the other day," the boy muttered as he tried to walk next to Ash. "Of course you have to ruin everything at last. Hey, did you see how he was crying while running away? Pathetic," he said to his two partners who chuckled at his comment. But Ash merely gave him any response. His face was completely expressionless so neither of them could tell what was going through his mind. "Seriously. I would have done better than you did. After all, it was just a goddamn Eevee. Couldn't you even beat it? So what if Gary's old man is the region's champion. He ain't got no talent bud," while the boy kept talking, he briefly patted Ash and wrapped his arm around his neck, much to Ash's annoyance while the other two continued to laugh. Finally, the boy let him go and stopped in front of him, stopping Ash in his track as well. "So, how did it feel like? Losing to your best friend? Huh? The whole school booing at you? Laughing at you? You disappointed many, you know? But I don't expect anything from you. After all…"

Ash's eyes were so far hidden under the rim of his cap. His lips were straight, showing no expression even now. His hands were in the pocket of his pant, clenched tightly, as he waited for him to say that. Just that one word.

"…Your old man was a loser too. Didn't he run away leaving behind you-"

But the boy never got to complete when suddenly Ash's hands reached out for him, grabbed his jacket and forcefully slammed him against the locker beside them. The boy grunted loudly as his back crashed against the metal doors of the lockers. The other two immediately came to rescue their partner and tried to hold Ash back by holding him from either side. They somehow managed to pull him back and the boy fell on his knees in front of them, panting heavily.

"You will pay for that Ketchum!" the boy barked as he looked up at the raven haired boy who was struggling to break free of his bonds. The boy stood back on his feet and prepared to hit Ash with his fist. But as soon as his fist came near him, Ash ducked down, dodging the incoming attack. Without giving it any second thought he forced his head forward and hit the boy's ribcage hard. The immense pain was too much for him to handle and the boy was startled back. He crossed his arms over his chest while coughing loudly. When Ash once again stood straight his cap fell and his raven hair flew around. The two other boys, who were still trying to hold Ash back, were caught by surprise when Ash suddenly moved back causing them to crash against the locker on the other side. For a brief moment, they lost their grip on Ash which the boy did not miss and moved out, heading for the same blue haired boy again who had just insulted his father.

Ash once again grabbed the boy by his collar and slammed him against the lockers on the other side, and was about to deliver a punch when he was interrupted.

"What is going on here?!"

A loud voice echoed throughout the hallway and Ash stopped amidst. He knew that voice very well and despite being so mad, had to stop. He let go of the boy and stepped back as Professor Oak walked towards them. The boy once again fell on his knees, breathing hard. He could swear that Ash nearly strangled him this time. And he would have given a pretty good response if that geezer wouldn't have shown up.

"I will see you later, Ketchum," the boy muttered and quickly rushed out of the place. His movements were showing how dizzy he was feeling.

Ash only stood there watching him and his boys disappearing around the corner. The urge to beat him hadn't died down yet and the moment he recalled his words, Ash was about to walk behind him to chase him down when he felt Professor Oak placing his hand on his shoulder. But before he could say a single word Ash shrugged his hand off. He knelt down, took his cap and walked away.

Professor Oak let out a sigh on seeing Ash. The boy was trying his best not to show his desperation and weaknesses. But he could not win against those who knew him too well. The incident from years ago has left a scar in his heart that could probably never heal. And what has happened merely a couple of weeks ago had only resurfaced the pain Ash was trying to ignore. That boy, Damian, had simply provoked Ash even further and to the point where he could hardly control himself anymore. Professor Oak only wished that he would not do something that he had to regret later.

"Don't do anything rash, son," he whispered as Ash finally disappeared from his sight.

* * *

Listening to everyone chattering around him has never felt so annoying before. Right now? He just wanted to silence everyone and by any mean possible. His head was completely empty. A single thought was continuously circling his head and never has he felt so empty in years. The words from around were echoing in his head only provoking him further. He himself did not know how he managed to keep himself calm and did not do anything so far.

"Hey Ash!" there was a loud call, or probably he felt like that, but her voice echoed after him as he felt her following him. If being honest, for the first time he wanted her not to chase him, not because of his annoyance but because of her own sake. He had no idea what he would do if she did not stop today.

"Hey. Wait up, Ash," Serena said as she finally managed to catch up with Ash. The raven haired boy did not respond which wasn't out of ordinary. She had gotten used to this by now, albeit, she still wanted him to notice her and talk to her like they used to do before. Serena continued to walk beside him and clasped her hands behind her back. "Hey. You aren't doing anything right now are you?" she asked. "Because if you are not, there is something I want your help with…"

No response.

"You see. I noticed that you have been studying about the Ruins of Alph. You remember that Professor Juniper has given us a lot of work to do this time and I haven't finished any of it. So I was wondering if you could help me…"

No response.

"Okay. I understand you don't want to talk to me. But at least nod if you would help."

At this point, Serena was sounding desperate to get Ash speak a single word which did not go unnoticed by anyone around either. But what interested them was the expression that Ash was giving at the moment. There was merely any passerby who wanted to butt in but there were a few who stopped to look where it would go.

"Should I take it as yes?"

Ash still did not respond and Serena was visibly hurt at that. Her desperate tries were failing horribly to get Ash speak a single word. It was like she was stuck with the same Ash she met when she was transferred to the school. Although he wasn't different now either, but at least he was responding to her calls before. But now? Nothing.

"I will take that as yes."

Serena hoped to read even a single sign of annoyance on his face. But still, there was nothing. He was as much expressionless as he was stubborn. And it was troubling her. He had never been this silent. Could there be any problem? Was he upset at her? Probably. He was always upset at her but he has never been this silent. It was worrying her now. But she wasn't the one to give in that easily. One way or another she would get him to talk to her. Maybe then she would get to know what the problem with him is.

"So, I was wondering," she started and paused briefly to think of something that would actually interest him. Something toppled her mind and the possibility of him responding was high. However, what she missed were the consequences she could have to face along with the benefit of it. "Are you going to take part in the upcoming tournament?"

Ash suddenly stopped walking. His face still seemed expressionless, however, his eyes were twitching in a very unnerving fashion. Whatever it was, Serena was certain it wasn't the annoyance she had seen every day. For a moment she considered the possibility of Ash finally giving a response.

Ash shut his eyes tight and bit his bottom lip and took a heavy breath before continuing forward. Confused, Serena decided to follow him yet again.

"Hey. Come on. Tell me at least that…"

"Stop it."

Serena shut her mouth immediately at his voice. It wasn't stern as she had expected it to be. But it still felt somewhat annoyed. Or maybe close to that. It sounded a bit different. It took her a moment to process that Ash did say that and secretly sighing in relief, she continued with her daily persuasion.

"So you are not taking part in it?" she asked while looking at him curiously.

Looser.

"Tell me. Please."

Hopeless.

"Go away."

Pathetic.

"Okay then. I will go if you will tell me. So tell me. Are you or not?"

Lonely.

"No. Now go."

Monster.

"But why?"

Pathetic!

"Go away."

Looser!

"I'm not."

Hopeless!

"Enough."

Pathetic!

"No!"

Lonely!

"Serena. Please!"

Monster!

"Not until you tell me why or…"

MURDERER!

"Alright, that's enough!" Ash suddenly burst aloud and his voice echoed throughout the hallway. Silence fell down everywhere as everyone turned to look at the commotion that was going on. "Just stop it already!"

Serena was dead silent for a brief moment, completely surprised and startled from the sudden outburst of Ash. She took a moment to recollect herself and noticed that Ash was breathing hard, clearly mad at this point. "But I was just trying to help…"

"Did I ask for it?!" Serena was once again shut up by Ash who still had his voice high. If any change then he only raised his voice even more.

"But…"

"Just shut up!" he breathed, "All I'm asking you to do is leave me alone! Don't you get it! Can't you get it in your thick mind! Or are you plainly too stupid to understand that?! Why you… just… just leave me alone you… goddamn it!"

"But…" Serena tried to raise her voice but the look he was giving her completely petrified her. He was not giving her any chance to speak. His harsh words were completely shutting her down. For a moment she did not even believe what she was hearing, let alone registering the fact that it came from Ash. He was completely outrageous at the moment. Not thinking rationally either. Surely there must be a reason. "Look… I… I don't know what is wrong with you, Ash, but listen to me, please. Just… talk to me. We will figure it out, okay…? You can't be this mad just because of me."

Serena could swear that Ash's face has turned red at that moment. His lips were pursed together. He was biting his tongue to hold himself back. His hands were clenched tightly into a fist. On hearing her, he placed his hands on his face and took a heavy breath. But it did not seem to have any effect. His rage has barely lowered an inch. Looser. Hopeless. Pathetic. Lonely. Monster. Murderer. Words keep ringing in his head over and over again and no matter how hard he tried he could not stop it from taking over his mind. He just hoped that Serena was sane enough to take his desperation as the hint and leave him alone, even for the moment. He did not want to hurt her.

"I can't win against my own friend. I can't keep my promises. I can't help anyone. Mom. Dad. Nobody cares. Nobody has. Nobody will. So what am I actually? Looser? Hopeless? Pathetic? Lonely?"

Serena was completely bewildered at what she was hearing, even more so that Ash was saying this. She had no idea how and where did it all come from. And same was the case with everyone present in the hallway. Taking short and heavy breaths Ash finally fell down on his knees. He could feel himself losing his sanity. He tried his best, keep saying over and over again to leave him. But the words would not come out of his throat.

Perhaps she was brave or completely crazy, but she knew that she could not leave Ash like this at the moment. No matter what has happened or what was happening or what was about to happen, the last thing she wanted to do was leave Ash alone, the friend she has cherished most in her life. Still somewhat shaken, Serena took a step forward and soothingly placed her hand on his shoulder. The low voice of weeping was all he gave. And at that moment she realized that Ash was actually crying.

"Go away, Serena. Please," he tried to say through his heavy, shaky breathing. But she did not listen.

"Tell me what's wrong, Ash. Please. I want to help. We are friends…"

And at that moment something suddenly snapped inside him and never had Serena regretted saying something like that to Ash. Quickly standing up Ash grabbed her by shoulders and forcefully pushed her against the lockers. A painful grunt escaped her lips and everyone gasped in surprise at what they were witnessing. Or haven't they expected it?

"Looser? Hopeless? Pathetic? Lonely? What about monster… Oh, I know who I am. A murderer!"

Serena was truly petrified at this point. Her eyes trembled in fear as she looked at him. "Wh-What are you saying Ash…" she managed to speak. "Please. Stop it. You are scaring me…"

"Scaring? Weren't you expecting it? Heh. Why do you think everyone stays away from me?! Tell me! Hasn't anyone told you to stay away from me? Didn't I?! Do you even realize how it feels to be alone?! Do you?! Have you ever felt this pain?! Tell me!" Ash's voice was completely outrageous and so does his eyes. There was no sign of a tear and neither any stain was present. All there she saw were the plain, blank auburn eyes ignited with flames. It actually made her doubt that even if he was crying or not just a moment ago. But it did not change the fact how much she was scared, not to forget that her back was hurting after Ash slammed her against the locker. But she was somehow able to keep her pain to herself. She was still more concerned for the boy in front of her than she was for her own sake.

"Ash, please!" she breathed, her eyes shaking with fear on noticing the reaction he gave after she finally raised her voice at him. But even if she was scared she wasn't about to let him know that. She has to be strong. For him. "What is wrong with you?! Why are you doing this?!"

"Why am I doing this? You tell me why I am doing this!" Ash yelled and once again slammed her against the locker. Her back was now hurting more and she was barely able to hold back her pain. Her eyes were already watery.

"Ash… I am your friend. Please tell me… What is wrong? I will help you…" despite her pain she tried to talk Ash out of it, whatever he was going through. Her voice was already sounding very shaky as if she was crying.

"Friend?" he muttered in a heavy voice. "Friend my ass… Don't you get it?! Damn it!" and then he did something which nobody saw coming. Raising his hand up, he clenched it tight into a fist and punched it straight. Serena's eyes widened when she saw the fist coming at her. The shock was too much for her to handle and she could not even close her eyes in time. Everyone else gasped in surprise when the first made contact and the sound of something crashing against the metal echoed throughout the silent hallway. But it did not end here when Ash raised his other hand and punched forward, then retreated it and continued to punch back and forth. Look of horror came over everyone as they saw the event happening in front of them but nobody dared to move a step. Everyone who could not see Serena only pitied her, wanted to help her, but only those who had the clear vision were relieved enough that Serena was safe. Even after losing his sanity Ash was conscious enough not to harm Serena and his fists were continuously punching on the metallic locker doors on the either side of her face. Horror struck her horribly at that moment and for the first time in her life, she feared the boy she thought was her best friend.

"Ash!" There was someone calling him still now but Ash was already out of his mind to listen to anyone. "Ash. Ash! Come on stop it!" but the boy still did not respond. Seeing no other choice Gary quickly wrapped his arms around Ash from behind and pulled him back. Ash visibly protested to get free but Gary let him go only after they were at some distance from Serena. "Ketchum stop it! Have you lost your mind?!" Gary yelled and pushed Ash back against the lockers on the other side of the hallway. "Snap out of it!"

The hallway was once met with complete silence. The only sound was coming from Ash breathing hard and heavily. Gary still had the boy pinned down and a stern gaze at him. The surprise of the commotion was that there were only a few incidents in the past when Gary had ever raised his voice at Ash and has gone physical with him despite butting into almost everything Ash does. The eyes of everyone slowly turned to the victim of the case and they saw Serena, her back still against the lockers, sliding down to the ground. She had a completely blank expression on her face and silent tears were rolling down her eyes to chin. Her mouth was still open agape with surprise. But the girl did not show any other expression. Fear has completely frozen her at the moment.

There was a sound of footsteps rushing through the hallway. Nobody has to turn around when Dawn suddenly showed up, and on noticing Serena on the ground with truly a petrified expression, rushed to her side. She knelt down next to her and asked for her safe being. But only a fresh set of tears she received in response as Serena tried not to weep the floor out. Dawn took merely a moment to put two and two together after analyzing the situation and quickly glared up at Ash, who happened to notice her as well. He merely grunted in annoyance before slapping Gary's hands off of him and walking out of the place. Everyone moved out of his way as quickly as possible to not get involved in the situation either.

Gary took a deep breath and shook his head. His hand scratched the back of his head and he finally looked down at Serena as well. By now a few more girls has come to help Serena get on her feet. And the way her feet were wobbling, Gary knew that the pain wasn't something to take lightly, not to forget that there was an internal wound as well now that could emotionally damage her. When he finally took his eyes off her he noticed that everyone was still looking at either him or Serena. His eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"What? Don't you have anything else to do?" he said sharply to everyone. But all they did was staring blankly at him. It only annoyed him further. "Just go away already!" he barked angrily and at that everyone started to move out and the chattering and voice of footsteps once again filled the hallway. Among them, however, he managed to take a quick glimpse of a blue haired boy smirking and a few around him grinning mischievously. He knew his identity very well and was certain that if he was around here, he most probably had a hand in whatever just happened. He just knew it. Gary took another heavy breath when he heard the sound of something falling down on the floor. And he was certain that it came from where Ash had gone. "Oh come on, Ash. What are you doing now?!" he muttered annoyingly and rushed after him.

* * *

"He did what?"

Professor Oak was extremely surprised on listening to what Gary had reported about the situation from earlier. Not that it was his responsibility or something but considering that there were many who would intentionally make things worse for Ash, he decided, to tell the truth right away. And being the grandson of Professor Oak helped a lot in fact.

"You heard it right," Gary muttered while standing against a wall near his grandfather, his arms crossed over his chest.

"But… That is very hard to believe," Professor said.

"Yeah, I know," Gary sighed. "It was hard for me too. I knew Ash wasn't so fond of her but going as far as to nearly hit her? I didn't expect that from him," Gary paused briefly before he added, "I know him. He isn't the type of guy to go that low."

"He isn't," Professor assured. "He had a bad mood already when he got into a fight with another student," Professor explained.

"And let me guess. Damian?" Gary did not even hesitate before placing the name forward. Professor Oak did not respond but closed his eyes and placed his hand on his forehead. That alone gave Gary the confirmation that it was that guy in fact. "I should have known," he muttered. He had heard about Damian in the past and from what he has known, he doesn't seem like a guy he would want to be around. He still did not get what made him pursue Ash out of all the people. "So what did he do this time?" Gary asked after a while.

"I'm not sure but by the time I reached there they were already fighting," Professor Oak told.

Gary once again fell silent and closed his eyes as he thought about the possibilities of things Damian could have done. And knowing him, he could go as far as the limits would take him. He would have done anything. But something that could enrage Ash enough to lose his sanity? There were only a few possibilities and he knew very well how much sensitive the raven haired boy was to them. Talking about him, despite the situation he wasn't the type of guy who would unnecessarily hurt someone. Either Serena had a bad timing to run into Ash or she said something - most probably unintentionally - to him that provoked him. Either way, the conclusion was all that mattered and he certainly did not repay the kind consideration very well to her.

"Poor girl," he thought to himself. All Serena wanted was to befriend Ash again. And he would not even blame her for that. But after this, he was certain that things would be very rusty between them than they already were. He finally opened his eyes and sighed. "I will be going," he muttered and walked out of the Principal's chamber. There were a few things he needed to sort out now additionally to what he had initially planned. It was more troublesome and might take some time as well after that incident.

* * *

The day did not end as good as it started. Throughout the day everyone avoided facing the infamous Ash Ketchum. He had disappeared from the school for a while but returned sometime later with after a successful persuasion from Gary. He did seem a lot calmer than he was before and surprisingly regretful as well. But the annoyance that had driven him to that point was still visible on his face.

Meanwhile, same wasn't the case with Serena. Not only did she end up hurting her back, she actually ended up having her heart broken into millions of pieces. After Dawn and others led her away, they decided to give her some time to hold down her emotional breakdown before taking her to the infirmary. It relieved them greatly that injury was minor and might be fixed on its own around in a week, considering that Serena does not give her back any kind of load or strain. But it did not change the fact that it still hurt her a lot.

After the school ended, Serena was once again picked up by her mother. The ride to her home was very quiet and it was worrying Grace a lot. When they reached home, Grace tried to confront her daughter but it only brought back the memories she was trying to forget and not to relive. The continuous pressure finally broke her down and she rushed into her room and locked the door behind before burying her face in the pillow and crying her heart out while her mother kept calling her from the other side of the door. The girl refused to come out of the room and Grace had to give up on her at last, albeit she kept checking on her for a possible update. But Serena never came out of that door that day. Eventually, the night fell and the dim moonlight entered her room. The fresh tear rolling down her eyes reflected the light and her eyes shimmered in the eternal darkness her room had occupied. Her eyes stared at the full moon that was clearly visible from where Serena was lying on her bed, helplessly and broken, her thoughts keep returning to Ash and how he treated her.

The scar that hurt Serena was most likely nothing to what the other side was feeling. Staring deeply at the bright moon was Ash Ketchum, standing against the railings. His hair was swaying swiftly as the cool wind passed by. There was, yet again, an expressionless look present on his face. Same, however, wasn't the case with his mind. He kept recalling that moment over and over and over again when he nearly hit Serena. He did not mean to do that. He knew that. He even warned her but she did not listen. He still did practically injured her which was something bothering him ever since then. Sighing sadly he closed his eyes and cocked his head down. His eyes opened again and a regretful expression took over.

"I told you to stay away from me," he muttered to himself, his voice showing the despair he was in. "What have I done."

* * *

 **I don't know how many have you read the preview of the story, but those who hadn't, I don't think you were expecting anything like that. Were you? That's something you have to tell me.**

 **To the side note... Yes! I did it! I managed it to this point, the technical starting point of the whole plot. Although the story has already come this far, trust me, the upcoming part will still be like a set up for the major arc(s). Doesn't mean you will be bored. I have plenty of things for you. And of course, the Amour, the reason why I was persuaded to do this rewrite/reboot.**

 **Two weeks from now on, see you next time.**


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N:**

 **Nearly forgot it again, but, well, here it is. Hey, everyone. I'm back with another update and on time this time. Read and enjoy. I will see you below.**

* * *

The Monday morning unsurprisingly started with the voice of normal chattering filling the hallway. Serena sighed and closed her locker shut. Her hand stayed on it for a brief moment as she stared down, her eyes filled with despair. There were many eyes constantly gazing back and forth at her. But even after knowing that she did nothing. She could do nothing. Taking another long breath she turned around and started walking in the hallway, her hands gripped the straps of her bag.

In the brief concentration, she did not realize when Dawn approached her and started walking next to her. "Hey." Her quiet voice brought her attention and she looked up at her. "Are you okay?" Dawn asked in a low voice.

Serena simply looked away and bit her bottom lip. "Yeah," she muttered out after a brief silence. But it was only half true. Her injury was healing slowly and no longer was she feeling the pain, thanks for the weekends off she got after that day and could rest. As she was told, if she did not put a lot of strain on her back she would be better in no time, approximately a week, and it turned out to be true and a great relief because her mother did not stop persuading her with concern even the day afterward. Although she did not tell her the complete truth, she did not lie to her mother about the injury either. Grace was visibly concerned and somewhat mad as well. She was glad that she did not mention it was Ash who did that.

"You didn't tell your mom, right?" That was mostly a statement. Serena briefly looked back at Dawn somewhat surprised that she read her with probably no effort at all. On noticing her gaze Dawn gave her a sympathetic smile. "I know how you feel about it. That is why I told you to stay away from him."

Serena frowned. Now that she considered it, Dawn was always trying to keep her away from Ash. She wondered many times why would she do that, but in the end, she concluded that she might have a history with Ash that made her hate him. But never did she believe that the reason could be so deep. His words from that day only confirmed her assumption. "I don't even want to talk about him," Serena said bitterly as she looked down at her feet, her eyes furrowing in annoyance.

Dawn was truly surprised at that. She knew, after what Ash did to Serena she would definitely be having hard feelings for him. But hatred, and this deep to be precise, she did not expect it. Perhaps her expectations from him were too high and after gravely losing, she was truly broken. In past few days, her sadness evolved into hatred for Ash. Although Dawn wasn't the one to comment on the situation, such change was saddening her as well. Ever since Serena was transferred to the school she had changed the environment a lot. Her constant failures to get Ash's attention were actually working, albeit slowly and she had no doubt he would have given in if it would have continued for a little longer. Maybe Serena was the one who could change him?

But that thought vanished as soon as it came.

"Hey. Are you alright?"

Serena stopped briefly and looked up at the occupant of the voice. It was Gary, standing next to the lockers at some distance. When she looked next to him she saw Ash standing there. Her eyes perked up with curiosity when she witnessed him placing his hand against his locker and closing his eyes while he breathed heavily. He looked pale. He took a brief moment before opening his eyes and looking up at Gary. His eyes, however, went past him and locked with her. Serena kept her glance steady for a brief moment. The voice of the bell rang, signaling everyone that their first class of the day was about to begin. In her brief trance, Serena felt Dawn tugging on her. Her glance broke momentarily and she held her left arm with her right hand, her eyes shifted away from him with a scowl.

"Let's go," she muttered quietly and began to walk away with Dawn following her silently.

Gary noticed Ash's glance and looked back only to notice Serena standing there, looking at them, or at Ash to be precise. When the bell rang throughout the hallway, Ash looked away from her as well, his eyes closing once again. At that moment Gary was certain that Ash still had not gotten over his despair. But surprisingly, his expression seemed down for a completely different reason.

"I'm fine," Ash finally muttered.

"Are you sure? You look pale," Gary persisted, still not believing Ash a bit.

Ash opened his eyes and looked back at Gary, his breath was unnaturally hot and it made him question his own words. "I… I need to go to restroom. Cover for me, will ya?"

"Sure thing," Gary replied. His eyes still stared at him as he watched him behaving unnaturally. Ash thanked him and started walking to the opposite side of where their class was. Gary continued to look after him before finally sighing. He placed his hands in pocket and began to walk away trying not to look bothered. But truthfully, he was still certain Ash was hiding something from him.

By the time Ash made it to the male's restroom the place was completely empty. He entered and walked towards the sink. He took a deep breath and looked at his image in the mirror while standing on the support of the sink. His face looked completely pale just as Gary said before. But worst was the pain gushing through him with an unbearable heat. It hurt him a lot but surprisingly, his body was yearning for more of that heat.

Just then there was a sharp pain in his neck to the right and he immediately placed his right hand over it. His eyes shut completely and his lips pursued together as he tried not to let out a scream. "Damn it!" he whispered through the pain. Somehow he managed to open his eyes and immediately reached out for the tap. As the water poured down from it, he quickly took some in his hand and started splashing it around his neck and placed his hand over it. He hissed in pain. It burnt a lot as if he had poured the whole bottle of antiseptic on an open wound. When he felt that the pain had reduced comparatively, he splashed some water over his sweaty face and finally closed the tap. He was still breathing heavily as he stared at his image in the mirror. His hand then reached out for his jacket. He pulled it aside along with his black T-Shirt. His eyes widened on noticing that his skin had completely changed at that spot as if someone has burned it brutally. It wasn't the flesh exactly but the skin looked very messy and disproportionate that he could hardly consider that his skin wasn't infected by something.

"Again," he muttered to himself and gritted his teeth. He once again placed his hands on the sink and stared down. A small whisper escaped his mouth. "What is happening with me?"

* * *

By the time Ash returned, it was already ten minutes since the class started. Although it wasn't an unusual thing happening, as his homeroom teacher, Professor Juniper was bound to feel annoyed. However, her calm and composed personality held her back from yelling. When Ash entered the class, as usual, she addressed him with a soft but somewhat taunting voice.

"I don't think really understand the importance of time, Ash. What kept you up this time?" she asked.

Ash, however, did not even look at her and continued on his way to his seat. But when he was climbing the stairs he briefly stumbled and nearly fell down. He placed his hand on the table next to him and leaned against it, breathing heavily. This did not go unnoticed by anyone, not even Professor who happened to look at him at the moment.

"Are you okay?" she asked aloud.

Ash breathed heavily before standing up again and taking the seat. Gary scooted away on realizing that it was better to give him some open space. The raven haired boy did not look good at all. When Ash did not respond, Professor Juniper sighed and continued with her lecture.

"As I was saying before, the Ruins of Alph are considered mythical but mysterious as well. There have been several reports in the past when the researchers have disappeared suddenly. Many returned but they have no memory of their disappearance. In the past decade or so, there have not been any such reports. Currently, it is believed that the sudden disappearance is caused by a mythical Pokemon called Unown," Professor Juniper paused briefly when a hand rose among the students. "Yes, Joe?"

"You said that disappearance of the researcher is caused by Unown. But if they are mythical, how is it possible? Are they even real?" a short brunette boy asked politely as he stood up.

"Good question, Joe," Professor Juniper addressed him before nodding at him. Joe sat down and professor turned to everyone. "Although Unown is said to be mythical there are several proofs that hint their presence," professor paused briefly and looked among the students, her lips curved into a small smile as she found the one she was looking for. "I've heard that you have been studying the Ruin of Alph in depth, Ash."

Every pair of eyes in the class turned towards the raven-haired boy was as surprised as others were. How could it be that Professor Juniper knew about his personal interest? He never told anyone. Not even Gary. There were possibilities, though, but he had a good idea who it could be. And his suspicion turned out to be true when Serena immediately looked away from him when he looked into her direction.

"You wouldn't mind sharing your little assignment with us, hmm?" Professor said.

Ash looked back at the professor and noticed her looking at him intently, waiting for his response. Honestly, he did mind doing that but he wasn't in the condition to do anything. "No, ma'am. I don't," he muttered and started undoing his Pokegear before moving it forward. "Pass it," he muttered to Joe who happened to be sitting right ahead of him. The brunette was initially startled but then hesitantly took it and walked to Professor Juniper. He handed the Pokegear to her and returned to his seat.

"Thank you, Ash," Professor said before she began to connect it to the projector. She surfed through the directory and found several images that Ash had been researching on for some time now, and then projected them on the screen.

An image was flashed on the big screen behind Professor Juniper and she turned to it. It was an image of a wall with an ancient language written over it. "This is what the researchers have found in the Ruins of Alph. From the first look it looks like a language, which it is, but here," professor paused briefly and pointed on the image as it zoomed in. What appeared like an alphabet _I_ appeared but with a circle in the middle which resembled an eye. "As you can see, this is the alphabet _I_ , and this," Professor Juniper paused once again as a new image was shown on the screen and then added, "Is Unown."

Several students gasped on noticing the image. It was a Pokemon with an eye in the middle and two straight rods coming out from its top and bottom. But what made it interesting was the fact that it looked exactly same as the image of the alphabet _I_ showed before.

Ash stared at the image himself, his stance was brief, but then he felt another wave of sharp pain rushing through his right shoulder and neck. He bit his tongue to not let out a loud sound and hissed in pain. It merely took a moment before the pain vanished as soon as it came but left Ash breathing heavily. He crossed his arms on the table and rested his head on it.

"Hey. Are you sure you are okay?" Gary asked in a whispering voice as he leaned towards him. Ash merely grunted but refused to answer. Gary sighed and moved away. He knew that Ash wouldn't spill anything if he stopped being persistent. However, this wasn't the right place or time to do that. He tried to keep his attention on the lecture, but his mind kept returning to his friend andhe once again gazed at him, his eyes showing concern.

* * *

"Hey. Hey! Ash! Get up buddy, the class is nearly over!"

It took the raven haired boy a moment to realize that what he was hearing wasn't a dream. When he opened his eyes groggily, he felt Gary shaking him and whispering in his ear. He rubbed his eyes and blinked several times before finally letting out a quiet yawn.

"What time is it?" the raven haired boy asked in a similar low voice.

"Nearly nine, I think," the brunette replied. "You were asleep for nearly whole class."

"Yeah?" Ash muttered and sat straight again, his eyes glanced around the class. Everyone still seemed focused on the lecture Professor Juniper was giving. When he looked at her, he realized that they were still studying about Ruin of Alph. At least, he did not miss something important. He has been researching those ruins for quite some time now and had pretty much all the knowledge of inside out. Or at least enough to not study this topic for rest of the year.

Although the two friends weren't paying any attention in the class, they still sat in a brief silence. After a while, Ash sighed as he spoke. "Can you get me a translator?"

"What? Why?" Gary asked.

"Well, um, I don't know. I just need one," Ash said. "Can you do something about it?"

"I don't know, man. I don't know anyone," Gary replied.

"How many free trails you have today?"

"A few," Gary whispered. "One actually but I don't think it is same for us both."

"Oh," Ash muttered. He crossed his arms over the table and placed the chin over it. His eyes lowered down as he felt himself losing himself into his thoughts. But he did not even get that peace when the bell rang aloud, signaling the ending of the class. Although frustrated, Ash decided to at least move and get out of the class.

"Alright, everyone. That's it for today!" Professor Juniper addressed everyone as the students started to stand up and walking out of the class, but they were briefly interrupted and stopped in their tracks. "Let me finish everyone. Please take your seats. I won't take too long," Professor Juniper said and everyone looked at her, wondering what could be the reason. They took another moment to get back on their seats. "As you all know, it is the time of the year when all type of activities starts. I believe you all know that your overall performance will determine your result. As a part of it, today I am going to divide you all into the groups of two so you can work together and prepare your yearly assignment." There were several groans of annoyance from every corner of the room at that. No one seemed pleased with the news. But ignoring everyone, Professor continued. "You have around ten months, I believe, to finish it so you don't have to rush anything. But make sure you don't forget it either."

"Curse my luck," Ash muttered under his breath and Gary quietly chuckled beside him.

"Don't be so negative. How worse it can be?" Gary said but Ash did not seem convinced. "Alright. How about it? Whoever is gonna get paired up with you, I will change partner with them."

"Whatever," Ash sighed.

"Now I am going to pair up the students. You have to come forward and sign here," Professor Juniper said and the process began. Just as she promised it did not take a lot of time but merely some minutes. When called, students went forward, signed and walked out of the class. However, the unnerving feeling still did not leave Ash. His breathing rate was rather short and fast. His hands were clasped together while he fiddled his fingers. He wasn't sure why but something was telling that it wasn't right. He didn't even know how. It was just his gut feeling. And his gut feeling had never been wrong before either.

As the process continued, the number of students decreased drastically. Professor Juniper looked up and called out aloud, "Gary Oak!"

"My turn," the boy muttered, slipped past Ash and made his way forward. He quickly took a pen from the professor and signed in front of his name. He paused briefly and looked down beneath his name. His partner wasn't some stranger.

"Dawn Berlitz," Professor Juniper called and the blunette obeyed. She quickly made her way down and signed next to her name. She was rather in rush and it did not go unnoticed by either Professor Juniper or Gary.

"Guess we are partners now," Gary muttered while standing at some distance from her. When she signed, Dawn looked up at him shrugged.

"Just don't mess up," she said and began to walk out of the room with Gary following right behind her.

"Ash Ketchum," professor called. Ash quickly walked down the stairs and made his way to the front desk. He took the pen and quickly signed his name before placing it down and began to walk out, did not even care to see his partner. Scratching the back of his head he followed Gary.

"Hey. Gary. Wait for me," he said and quickly caught up with him. "Are you really gonna handle it?" he asked. At that moment, he heard professor calling someone after him. But he did not listen to her and continued.

Gary glanced at him briefly before realizing what he was referencing to. "I don't see why you are so troubled. How bad it could be?" he said with a small chuckle as he turned around and looked at him. However, his happy go lucky demeanor disappeared and his eyes widened when he looked behind Ash. "Who… is your partner again?" he asked, his voice slightly shaking.

"Don't know," Ash replied but then noticed Gary's reaction. "What-"

"Guess we will have to change partners pal," the brunette interrupted. His voice sounded very heavy and serious. This brought the attention of even Dawn who nearly exited the class. She briefly turned around and looked at the two boys and then behind them, her eyes widened and a gasp escaped her lips.

Ash probably wasn't the smartest guy, but he wasn't the stupid at all. He did not need to tell twice and after seeing the same reaction from two different people he, too, realized that something was wrong. Hesitantly, he turned around and looked back.

"Serena, your partner will be Ash," Professor Juniper said politely as Serena signed next to her name, but on hearing those words she dropped the pen. Her hand stayed in the same holding position while her whole body shook slightly. With the expression similar to everyone in the room, the honey blonde haired girl looked up and saw the boy standing in front of him, looking at her. And from the looks of it, she knew he hardly believed it as well.

"You are kidding me."

Because she wasn't pleased with that decision either.

* * *

"What am I going to do now?" the honey blonde haired girl whined in disappointment. "Out of all the people, why does he has to be my partner?"

"You would have been really happy if it had happened last week," Dawn said but her voice only further annoyed Serena.

"Dawn please!" she whined, her voice still holding hatred as she spoke. She was still rather sensible to that event. And why not? She was hurt, and rather bashfully. Whenever she wasn't doing anything it was the first thing that popped in her mind as if it was stuck there. She just could not take it out of her mind.

"Okay, calm down. Let me… Just give me some time. I will figure out something…" the blunette sighed, her eyes closing as she pondered over something. At that moment, the bell rang once again, signaling the beginning of their next class. Dawn's eyes opened and shot wide when they landed on the clock ahead of them. "Damn. I'm late," she muttered and began to make her way to her class quickly, her feet moving at a fast pace. "I will see you later!" she yelled back before disappearing into the crowd.

Serena simply waved her hand after Dawn as she disappeared from her sight, and a long sigh escaped her lips. "What am I going to do?" she whispered under her breath. It wasn't like she could just walk up to Ash and convince him to work with her. Nor that it was the first thing in her mind. She absolutely despised that thought. And besides, even if she would try it there was hardly any chance that Ash would agree.

Serena walked to her locker and opened it, and as she began to place her belongings inside she did not notice someone approaching her, a pair of eyes ogling her thoroughly. It took Serena another moment to notice a presence next to her. She knew that Dawn was already gone so it couldn't be her. And the unwanted feeling she was receiving from the presence confirmed her she absolutely could not stand it. When she heard what seemed like a whistle (or a moan), she finally closed the door of her locker and saw a boy standing there, his eyes still seemingly looking up and down at her.

"Excuse me?" she said, unnerving feelings shrouding her mind. "You need something?"

At that, the boy broke his trance and looked up at her, smiling cheekily. "Oh. Hey," he started, "I heard. You have been paired up with Ash. Hmm? Doesn't seem like you had a choice."

"I didn't," the girl replied, still uncertain if there was any reason to respond to him at all. The blue haired boy, however, did not respond again as his head lowered down. It took Serena a moment to realize what he was doing when she noticed her eyes gazing down her skirt. She had to break him out of his trance again which rather annoyed her.

"Nice," he muttered and Serena could swear her soul flinched at that tone. "Hey. I know," the boy then changed his voice, "How about we swap our partners? Would be nice. How about we meet tonight someplace? My place?"

"…Um," Serena was clearly nervous at this point but a response was hardly escaping her lips as his persistent behavior continued and she had to take a step back, cautiously.

"So it's a deal then." It was more of a statement than a question. "How about 08:00-"

"Here you are!" a familiar voice rang aloud. Serena looked past the blue haired boy and noticed Gary. When she looked at him, the boy waved and made his way to her. "I have been looking for you everywhere. Gramps wanted to see you," he said.

"Go away, champ. You are disturbing us. Old man can wait," the blue haired boy snarled. Annoyance was evident in his voice and Serena shivered, the unnerving feeling still present.

His words made Gary look at him, his eyes rising in interest as he stepped forward, and right in front of him. "You do realize that the old man wants to see you as well, right?" Gary spoke, his voice was calm but heavy. The blue haired boy gritted his teeth and his hand reached around his waist when Gary interrupted him. "That…" his hand grabbed the boy's hand, "… won't be a good idea. Unless you really need it?" he finished as he placed his other hand around his waist. His jacket opened a little wider and showed a few Pokeball hanging there. The boy looked down at them and then back at Gary who was still smiling softly. He growled at him before snapping his hand free and walking away. Gary kept his eyes on him the entire time until he disappeared. His trance broke only when he heard a heavy sigh next to him. He looked down and noticed it was Serena.

Truth to be told, she was a little scared from that boy's advance and even when wanting to refuse, could not. She did not get any chance and she was lucky to run into Gary at the time like this. She took a heavy sigh out of relief and closed her eyes.

"Well?" Serena's eyes opened when she heard him, looking at her intently. At that moment she realized why he was looking for her. "Let's go?" he said and already began to walk. Serena immediately followed him without a word.

It had been over five minutes since the bell rang the last time and the hallway was once again empty. Gary and Serena were practically alone at that moment as they walked. After a brief silence, Gary spoke. "So," Serena looked up at the boy whose back was facing her. "You are teamed up with Ash." It wasn't a question and she knew what he meant by those words.

"I'm planning to change that. You don't have to worry," Serena said, her voice sounded stern.

"Should have known," Gary muttered and took a sigh. "But whom would you switch with? There is no one who is going to agree."

Serena stopped in her tracks on hearing that. It was true. Nobody wanted to be near Ash at all. Even if she wanted to switch partners, who would agree? At that, she remembered something. "You."

Gary stopped and turned around. Serena was standing at some distance from him as he stared at her blankly, a smile then came over. "Not possible."

Serena blinked in confusion. "Why? Aren't you his friend?" she spoke, her voice was hard and Gary chuckled. It only made her more confused.

"Do you really think I did not try?" he said. "I'm son of the champion and grandson of Professor Oak, and they still refused to let me switch. Why do you think they will listen to you?" It was a valid point. The one with so many connections; if he failed what chances does she have? None. She knew that. But if there wasn't any other way, what she was going to do now? "You will have to convince that idiot now. I don't think there is any other option," Gary said and once began to walk. Serena wanted to say something but she was once again interrupted. "I hate to say that, but it is true."

Serena wasn't sure how she was feeling at the moment. Mixed emotions were rushing through her. She felt like her mind has become foggy all so sudden. She could not look for a way out. She took another moment before once again following the brunette, walking behind him.

The two stayed in another brief silence. They were nearly to the principal's office. It was then Gary broke the unnerving silence.

"You need to talk to him, Serena."

Serena blinked a few times in confusion on hearing him. "What do you mean?" she asked.

By then, the two were already standing outside the office. Gary finally stopped and turned around, facing the girl. "I know he hurt you, but… trust me. He regrets it deeply."

Serena lowered her eyes, a look of annoyance coming over. "And why do you think I will believe you?" she demanded.

"Well. You are the one who needs to work it out. I have got Dawn with me. I will work it out smoothly. What about you," Gary said and casually shrugged his shoulders. The girl's stare was still annoyed but he was certain that she was considering his words. So he pressed forward. "You don't have to trust me… him, or anyone. Do whatever you please."

Serena did not speak after that and her head lowered down. Her expression was too jumbled up to be noticed. Gary did not bother either. Once he noticed that she wasn't going to continue, he sighed. He glanced at her softly before speaking, "Stay away from Damien, Serena."

Serena once again looked up, noticing his usual grin on his face. He turned around and began to walk away, but then stopped amidst and turned around his heel. He walked towards Serena and when he was next to her, spoke, "Gramps isn't here by the way."

It took Serena a moment to understand the meaning behind those words but by the time she turned around to confront him, he was already gone.

* * *

"Damn it," the raven haired boy muttered, irritation was evident in his voice. He dropped the pen on the table and leaned back, breathing heavily, and crossed his arms over his chest. He leaned forward again and placed his arms on the table, his head resting in his hands. He closed his eyes as he thought deeply. What am I missing? So far all his research has mentioned was the importance of Ecruteak City. But again, wasn't it already known to the world what importance the city held? There was nothing new he could find. He had somehow finished translating a particular section and then move to the next, but it turned out to be far more difficult than he thought it would be. The language was completely going above his head and he had no idea how to continue further.

He was about to stand up and wander in the library, looking for yet another book, when someone passed him a book on the table. He glanced at it, feeling odd, and then looked up. He did not expect to see Serena standing there at all. However, there was a stern look still present on her face and he knew she did not come here to persuade him.

Ash glanced down at the book, his eyes taking a brief note of the language written over it. It was yet another translator but with a different language which he had never seen before. Or had he? He blinked several times before it clicked in his mind as he caught the similarities between it and the language he was trying decrypt from a while.

But he never took it. His eyes furrowed down and he looked away, his hands crossed on the table.

"Look. I have no interest in talking to you but…" There is always a 'but'. Ash thought bitterly in his mind. But he still could not justify the stupidity of this girl. What was she doing next to him out of all the places? "I want to… It's about the project," she admitted. Ash did not move an inch or gave any kind of response. Serena sighed to herself and slid on the bench next to him, but keeping him a solid distance of some inches. "I will say it just once, so listen carefully. I went to talk to teachers and they… well, refused to let me switch with someone and now I'm stuck with you. I have no choice but to work with you. I don't care if you like it nor not, but we will have to work together because I care about my grades."

When Ash did not respond for next thirty seconds, Serena was actually about to yell at him when she noticed him fiddling his fingers. She looked up at him. His eyes were staring away from her, but she could see that he was actually thinking about it.

"Just bear with it this once and I promise we will never have to see each other again…" she said, "… please."

His expression still remained unreadable. His eyes did not even blink as he stared forward, unsure what came in his vision. Finally, he sighed aloud and crossed his arms on the table again before burying his head into them. The sound of his clothes moving over his body and each other was all Serena heard. The honey blonde haired girl stared at him and waited for him for a minute. Two. Three. He never responded. She clenched her fist and gritted her teeth. The boy still did not move. Like he even regretted hurting me! She thought bitterly and got up.

"Why did I even decide to listen to Gary?!" she muttered aloud and began to walk away, feeling extremely annoyed.

When Ash was certain that the girl wasn't next to him anymore, he finally looked up. His head stayed down but his eyes stared at her, noticing her feet leading her out of the library. He lowered his eyes and sat straight again, his hand once again grasping the pen. He began to tap it on the notebook while his eyes scanned the image in front of him. Just out of blue his eyes slipped away and he looked at the book the girl had left. He stared at it only for a minute or two and finally decided what he wanted to do. He sighed and grabbed the book before pulling it towards him opening it.

However, one question still remained. Why did she help him again?

* * *

 **So, let's wrap it up for now. I actually have a news for you. Life is getting weird right now. So many unexpected things are happening and with so many opportunities, I am not even certain what is going on with me and my life. It is very unlikely that the disturbance is going to affect the schedule of this story. I think taking two weeks for every chapter was worth it. But still, it is possible I might have to put this story aside sometime in the future. Luckily it has a long way to go right now.**

 **Besides this, I have a good news too. I ran into this dude on Wattpad who actually decided to become my personal editor. And guess what? The quality of the story would be going off the charts in no time. Don't believe me? Check out the early few chapters. They have edited by him and I'm speechless myself. I guess this story is becoming worth checking out now.**

 **I forget constantly to let you know; if you guys wanna keep up with the latest updates of the story, follow me on:**

 **.com**

 **This is a separate blog completely dedicated to my stories. You can keep up withmye stories here. Or you can follow me on my main account:**

 **.com**

 **P.S.: Yes, please remove the parenthesis before entering the link.**

 **Please review. I will see you two weeks later.**


	11. Chapter 10

**A/N:**

 **Hey, sorry for the delay people. As you know, I have got an editor to edit this story and he got a bit busy for a couple of weeks. So the update had to be delayed. But hey! It came out! So please, go ahead and read it!**

 **On the side note, he has edited all the chapters to the date. But I haven't updated them all here. it is kinda painful. Wattpad is easier in that case, so if you want you can check it out there too.**

* * *

"Hey!" The blue haired girl yelled, with her voice filled with annoyance as she walked towards the certain brunette. Serena could not help but wonder what the commotion was all about as she followed her friend. Dawn finally stopped and stood over Gary, who did not seem to notice her at all. A hood was covering the back of his head and his hands were holding a magazine he was scrolling through – one page at a time.

"Hey! Gary!" Dawn said, her voice wasn't too loud but with the irritation still present she was disturbing everyone in the library. However, the boy still did not respond. Finally, when her limits were crossed, Dawn snatched the magazine from his hands and roughly placed it on the table, her hand still over it. "Are you even listening to me?!"

And it was the time when finally, Dawn met some glares from everywhere. She did notice them but decided to ignore it and continued to glare at the boy. Gary blinked at her several times and then reached for the hood. He took it down revealing his red headphones over his ears before taking them off as well.

"You were saying something?" he asked.

"Wha…" for a moment, Dawn stared at him with a dumbfounded expression and her mouth opened agape, but then she shook her head and once again glared at him. "When are we going to start?!" she said, this time, however, kept her voice down.

"I thought you were gonna handle it," he said. His eyes then noticed Serena who just took a seat around them on the bench. He waved at her with a small smile. Serena returned the gesture politely and the boy turned back to the blunette.

"I said I will try to look for something!" Dawn said and sat next to him at the corner of the bench, her annoyance still present. "We agreed to work together."

"We did?" the boy muttered innocently but a glare from Dawn made him change his demeanor. "Alright! I get it," he said and raised his hands in his defense. "Um… Let me think," he said as he placed his arms on the table and face between his hands. Although Serena wasn't paying much attention to him, she could swear that he mumbled something about ruins, books, and a camera.

Serena looked at him in confusion before turning to Dawn. But before she could say something she noticed the magazine beneath Dawn's hand. "What's this?" she thought aloud.

Dawn noticed her glance and looked down at the magazine as well. She grabbed it and scrolled through it, her eyes raised in confusion. Serena scooted closer to her to take a glimpse of it as well. A few images quickly caught her attention and she took the magazine from the blunette who did not protest at all. While Serena started to look through it, Dawn once again turned to Gary.

"Well?"

At that, Gary suddenly raised his hand, his face brightened up and even Serena momentarily took her eyes off the magazine to look at him. But that look vanished immediately and he shrunk down on the table lazily. "Man. I don't know," he muttered. "I don't have any clue."

"Should have known," Dawn could not help but sighed. "You are hopeless."

"Well. I have an idea," Gary said and Dawn looked at him again. "How about you come at my place today? We can ask Gramps for some suggestions."

"Don't you think it will be like cheating?" Serena interrupted. "Professor Oak is also the Principal of this school."

"I am not planning to ask him everything. He can give suggestions for where to begin with," Gary paused and leaned back in his chair before adding, "He helps everyone anyway so it won't be like cheating."

"Oh," Serena muttered. Dawn then turned to Gary and was about to respond when she noticed a familiar grin on his face as he looked at her; a frown came over her face.

"It is going to take a lot of time anyway. Why don't you stay for dinner as well?" he said, grinning at her.

"In your dreams," Dawn rolled her eyes at him and the boy could swear he felt a dagger shoved through his chest.

"Oh, come on. Just one date…" the boy begged. Serena could not help but giggle. Her eyes took one final glance at the magazine before she looked up at him.

"Hey Gary," she started. "When did you get into women's fashion?"

"Hmm?" Gary moved her eyes from Dawn to Serena and noticed the magazine in her hands. "I'm not," he said.

Serena raised her eyebrows in questioning, which her companions caught immediately. But he did not have to respond as Dawn did it for him.

"He has some weird obsession of wanting to date cute girls," she said. Serena blinked and then tilted her head in confusion while Gary grinning stupidly and scratched the back of his head. What kind of obsession is that? She could not help but think. But now that she considered it, all the models in the magazine were pretty cute. It was then Gary realized something and spoke.

"Hey, Serena." The girl looked up at him, confused. "What about you? Would you like to go on a date with me? Are you free tonight?" he asked, the familiar grin coming back on his face.

"No thanks," Serena replied. Her voice was nervous as she shook her hands in rejection. "I think I will pass."

Serena wasn't sure how deeply he considered that rejection because he slumped down on the table in disappointment. She actually felt bad for him for a moment and it made her even more nervous. Sensing the confusion in the honey blonde haired girl, Dawn decided to interrupt.

"Don't you think you are missing the class?" Dawn said, looking at the brunette.

"No teacher," he mumbled, with his head still down. "And there is no substitute today," he paused briefly before raising his head again. He placed his face between his hands and sighed. "Besides, I have a free trial next. Doesn't matter anyway," Gary looked at Dawn as he said, then shifted his eyes on Serena. "I was waiting for Ash anyway."

Serena visibly flinched on those words and it did not go unnoticed by either of the two. A brief silence fell down between them. After a while, Gary decided to break it.

"So how is your progress with him?" Gary asked the honey blonde haired girl. "Did you talk to him?" Serena sighed, her head sulking into her arms on the table. "You did. I… guess."

"Yeah," Serena moaned, annoyance evident in her voice. "I tried to talk to him but he doesn't even want to listen to me," she said, her eyes furrowing with every word. "Honestly. Why do I care when he doesn't want to do it?"

"For your grades?" Gary said and chuckled when Serena sighed disappointingly in realization. "He has been like this ever since he was a kid. Stubborn. As usual," he added, keeping his eyes on the girl.

"I know, right?" she replied, wanted to laugh at her own words, but then she froze on realizing what she'd just said. Another frown came over followed by another silence. She did not look up again and tried to change her mood while gathering some thoughts. There were no words between them afterward.

* * *

Dawn had a lot of things running through her head, however, it did not lower her pace as she rushed through the crowded hallway. Soon her eyes spotted him, his hands crossed behind his head and a pair of red colored headphones hanging around his neck. She quickly rushed after him.

"Gary! Wait!" she called.

Gary's ears perked and he turned around. "Do you want something?" he asked, "I thought we were done for the day." There was brief silence between them but then a stupid, familiar grin came over his lips. "Unless you considered my offer…"

"We are done!" Dawn said with a stern voice and Gary hung his head down in disappointment. "It's about Serena and… well… Ash," she said, hesitating with her words. This, however, caught the attention of Gary as he looked up at her again, his demeanor completely changed and curiosity was flashing through his eyes. But before he could ask anything, the blue haired girl interrupted him. "Keep walking," she whispered and started walking. Gary did not question Dawn and followed her, walking next to her.

"So… What is it?" Gary asked.

Dawn did not respond immediately but took a moment to think of how she'd word her sentence. She still remembered the reason why she was persuading the brunette at the first place. If there could at least one other way, she would go for it rather than the obvious one. After a brief silence, Dawn finally spoke.

"Can we switch partners?" she asked. Gary looked at her with a blank expression. He blinked and opened his mouth to inquire, but he was answered by his own mind. He sighed and shook his head. "Why not?" the blunette asked, "You can have any partner you want."

"Gramps refused to listen," the boy replied. "You are stuck with me for the rest of the year," he added with an amused expression.

"So there is no other way?" Dawn inquired. Gary simply shook his head in response.

"Nothing that I can think of," he answered truthfully. After a while, Gary stopped and turned to Dawn, who looked at him as well. "I'm going to see Ash, now. You know where to find me if you want something," he said. Dawn nodded and the brunette turned around, proceeding inside the library. He stopped briefly and looked at Dawn for a brief moment, "I will let you know if something comes up," he said before heading inside and disappearing from the sight.

Dawn looked down at her feet as she thought about his words. She truly wanted to change partners but there did not seem any chance at all. Her face was crumpled with disappointment. She sighed and began to walk away, trying to keep her expression and worry to herself. She even decided to ignore the blue haired boy who standing at some distance from her, eavesdropping on her conversation with Gary.

The boy could not help but grit his teeth in annoyance. Spying on these two was incredibly hard, even harder in Gary's case. He did not get a single hint of Serena trying to switch partners. And these two seemed to have problems already as well.

* * *

When Gary entered the library, looking for Ash, he wasn't really expecting him to be sleeping. However, a closer inspection revealed that he was wide awake, either thinking about something or tired of thinking something. And considering the sudden change in his behavior in a couple of weeks, Gary wasn't even surprised. Chuckling to himself, the brunette walked to his friend, his hands still behind his head.

"Hey. Ashy-boy. Wake up," he said, shaking him up a little before he took a seat next to him. Ash moved, briefly looked at Gary from the corner of his eyes and then went back into his arms. "I think you need to slow down a little," Gary said.

"Why do you care?" the raven haired boy muttered.

"Does it matter?" Gary responded, his eyes scanning the image on Ash's Pokégear that was placed on the table and the notebook. He quietly took them both. Although he knew Ash has noticed him, when no protest came, he simply continued. He first glanced up at the image and then at the notebook, his eyes rising in obvious confusion. "Hmm?" he muttered to himself. "I think I can do something about it."

"What?" Words escaped his throat eagerly as he raised his head up, looking at Gary with confusion. "You can?"

"Not really. Not as good as you do… but," Gary paused briefly as he stared down in the notebook. A brief silence fell between the two friends as Gary continued to think. After a while, he finally decided to speak. "Geez. When did you become so obsessed with fire?"

"A while ago," Ash muttered.

"Honestly. You need to… um… Never mind. Hey did you see the news last night?" Gary spoke, changing the subject.

"What news?"

"You won't believe it," Gary said. He looked around and scooted closer to Ash while the raven haired boy could hardly control his curiosity. "Remember those goons we ran into a week ago?"

"Yeah?"

"They were found dead," Gary said, voice as low as a whisper. There was a brief silence after that as Ash simply stared at his friend, not believing the words that he just heard. His eyes weren't exactly wide, nor were his mouth opened agape, but his expression was showing the shock.

"I…Ho…Wh…When did it happen?" Ash finally managed to ask.

"I'm not sure, really," Gary spoke, leaning back in the chair and placing his hands behind his head. "All I know is that their bodies were found burned."

"That's terrible," Ash muttered. His voice was heavy but low along with his breath. He crossed his arms and rested his chin on it. His eyes narrowed further. "Really terrible."

There was just something about them that did not make him feel bothered a bit. Instead, he was rather ticked off by them. He had known all along that they hadn't run into those goons that day, but they had been following them. Their decision came out to be the wrong one when they had to run instead. He did not feel bad that they were murdered. Rather, he felt better knowing that he did not have to worry about yet another thing anymore. It was entirely their fault. Robbing. Seducing. Raping. Smuggling. He did not care about those as much as he cared about them interfering with his business. They should have known, after running into him so many times they couldn't have survived at all.

"Investigation says that it could be a Pokémon," Gary started. Ash did not look back at him but listened to him carefully. "A normal person cannot do it without leaving any trace." Ash simply smiled at those words.

Apparently, Gary found something really interesting once again. How long was he going to stick with it? That was the question.

Ash heard the brunette shuffling in his chair as he leaned forward, his one hand grabbing a pen and tapping it on the notebook in front of him. "But you know," his voice rang in his head and Ash's eyes lost all expression for a moment. He recognized that tone very well. Don't tell… "I don't think it is the same," he finally concluded.

"What do you mean?" Ash asked, finally getting up into the proper sitting position.

"They believe it to be a Pokémon only because there were no visible traces. But Pokémon found in the street of Pallet generally don't use fire type moves, let alone being so hostile to kill someone. Unless someone left their Pokémon on the streets, which, of course, is not the case," as Gary continued, Ash realized that he wasn't just speaking. There were facts behind his words.

Solid facts.

"I saw some photographs and the news recording over and over again. And I noticed, there were shoe prints. I am not sure but I think I noticed some pieces of torn clothes. They did not match with those guys either. Since the case is briefly noticed by media, it is possible that there will be more about it tonight on the TV after 9 or 10. It has been same for some days now."

That's right. Gary had always been very observant. Many things had influenced him. When he was a kid, he did not understand the articles Professor Oak usually wrote and read. To understand them, he started reading and studying a lot. When he noticed the elite members of the league having a battle with Blue, he wanted to try it too, and so he became a trainer. To understand the Pokémon and their feelings towards their trainers, the bond, he decided to follow the steps of his own grandfather. And if it continued, it won't be too long when he would find it out. And that would be really terrible.

At that moment Ash realized something.

" _I'm scared of Gary."_

That thought completely overwhelmed his mind, only broke when Gary continued.

"I think I'm gonna investigate it myself a bit…" he muttered. "Maybe I will get a reward or something."

"Stop it! Y-You are not going to do anything! That's too dangerous!"

It was a sudden outburst from Ash and very loud too. Everyone in the room turned to look at him but Ash merely paid them any attention. His eyes were raging wild as he stared at the brunette, who was as stunned as everyone else in the room.

"This is not some game! Stop it right now! You can get killed too!"

"Whoa," Gary raised his arms in a surrendering motion. "Calm down, man. What's up with you all so suddenly…?"

It was then Ash realized how overdramatic he was being. He was already standing up and his hands were slammed down on the table. He never even realized it. His breathing, apparently, was short and heavy too. He closed his eyes and took a long breath before sulking down in the chair again; sweat dribbling down his forehead to his chin.

"I just don't want you to hurt yourself, idiot," Ash muttered, his eyes looking into the other direction that of Gary.

The brunette could not help but blinked, unable to form the words in response. Ash knew he sounded overdramatic about the situation. But those last thoughts did not just come up suddenly. He knew there was hardly any chance for Gary being involved into something like that. Not when he was keeping an eye on him. But at the rate weird things were happening in Pallet Town, he wasn't certain if he should worry or not. And then, he was unsure that he would be able to look after Gary all the time. He did not trust himself anymore.

He couldn't just let Gary leave him like this after all this time.

"How did you get into all this all so suddenly?" the raven haired boy finally spoke, his face turning to Gary again. At that, the brunette quickly drew out a few books from his bag and placed them in front of Ash.

"It's Looker's new book with advanced detective skills and a lot of good investigations for example!" he said. His voice showed how excited he was. "It got me intrigued. It is amazing. Really. And besides," he paused, sheepishly rubbing his cheek as he pushed forward one of the books. When Ash looked down at it, he realized it was exactly the same book he wanted; the one he could not find for some days now. But it wasn't the book he wanted exactly. Some of his belongings were in it.

Wait! It couldn't be! He didn't…

"I peeked through it. The book was amazing. It gave me more detailed description of fire types and their abilities," Gary replied. Ash looked up at him with a blank expression. "There were a few papers as well. I think that is why you wanted me to look for it, don't you? I saw them. Didn't get a single thing."

Considering that a normal person like Gary was able to figure out things so fast, Ash knew things will change soon. How would he handle it when more people would know about it? Now he was certain.

He was really scared of Gary.

* * *

"Do you really think it's a good idea?"

"It's all fine. Stop whining."

Serena was still uncertain of the decision; going inside Professor Oak's lab. It wasn't the problem, though. What troubled her was the fact that Ash would probably be in there too.

"Are you really sure?"

Dawn finally turned around and looked at Serena. "Really?" she spoke, somewhat annoyed now. "I told you, it's fine. Gary spoke to him and he has agreed to work with you. If you don't trust them, trust me at least."

"It's not that I don't trust you, but…"

Dawn ignored her words and proceeded to ring the bell for the fifth time. She crossed her arms, tapping her foot on the ground as she waited. But when no response came, she finally gave in.

"Where the hell is everyone?" she said and rang the bell once again. At that moment a hand came from behind her and tapped her shoulder.

"What are you two doing here?" Dawn and Serena both turned around and noticed the brunette standing behind them. He blinked at them in confusion as the girls stared at him. "Well?"

"Didn't you tell us to come over here?" Dawn remarked.

Gary simply chuckled at her voice. "Guess I forgot," he said as he passed by them and walked to the door. He opened it, which turned out to be unlocked and motioned the girls to follow them.

"Where were you?" Dawn asked. "And why no one was answering the door?"

"Had some errands to run," he said. "And Gramps is really busy today. I don't think he even heard you." Dawn and Serena followed the brunette as he led them further inside the lab. He rushed up the stairs a little further ahead and turned briefly to address the girls. "Suit yourself," he said and pointed towards the big hall to the left. Without even giving the girls even a chance to speak a single word, he rushed out of their eyes.

Dawn and Serena walked into the hall. Dawn happily flopped over the couch with her bag beside her. Serena only placed her bag on the couch while her eyes roamed in every corner of the hall. Considering that it was Professor Oak's research laboratory she was expecting it to be a classic style, not the modern style. Not that she was complaining. The place still felt like home to her, giving her a sense of déjà vu.

"It's been so long," she muttered under her breath.

Her trance broke when her eyes stopped at the door. There was a yellow mouse Pokémon passing by. Apparently, it sensed her looking at it, and stopped in its tracks, looking back at the young girl. Serena walked closer to it and bent down and placed her hands on her knees as she watched it looking at her.

"Hey," she said quietly, but in a friendly voice, smiling softly at it. "What are you doing here?" she added and placed her hand on its head, running her head through its soft fur and under its chin.

"Chaaaaa," the mouse Pokémon cooed in response and submitted against her touch.

"You like it, don't you?" Serena said, smiling and went forward to pick it up in her arms. The electric Pokémon retorted initially, cautious of her actions, but then it looked past her and noticed a familiar blunette sitting on the couch. Dawn looked back at it and smiled, waving her hand at it.

"Hey, Pikachu. Long time no see," she greeted. Pikachu beamed brightly on seeing her.

Serena turned around and looked at her blue haired friend, surprised. "You know…"

"Yeah, I do," Dawn interrupted and Serena walked to her. The blue haired girl stood and rubbed the chin of it. "He is Ash's," she muttered after a brief silence, her small smile fading. Dawn did not expect Serena to not feel any good from this, but she seemed rather surprised which confused the blunette. She did not take too long to catch up on her doubt. "You didn't know? They have been together for longer than I remember," Dawn stated.

Serena shook her head. "He didn't have a single Pokémon when we were kids," Serena replied.

Dawn knew from her voice that Serena was trying not to sound upset. But talking about Ash was only leaving such effect on her. She could not help but pity the honey blonde haired girl. No sooner even Serena felt her arms getting weaker. With her arms moving down, Pikachu jumped and landed on the floor. It looked back up at the girl and tilted its head in confusion when she did not even acknowledge it. It was certain she looked upset.

Serena held her arm in her hand and sighed. She attempted to let out a smile and turned towards Dawn. Her eyes widened when she looked past her.

"What are you looking at?" Dawn asked as she looked at the girl in front of her. When the Serena did not reply she followed her gaze and turned around, noticing a big frame.

It was very big and framed in it was a photo of two couples, Professor Oak, and two kids. It wasn't a surprise for her to see it. She had been here before a lot of times and had seen it. She never bothered to observe it carefully, though. But now that she looked at it, followed her friend's gaze, she realized something different about it. Standing around the old man were two couples, one of them she recognized immediately.

"That's your mom!" It wasn't a question, but a statement. And she stated that bluntly. The blunette girl, consumed in immense surprise, walked to the frame, her eyes never leaving it. "Wow. She looks so young. It must be a really old one," she stated, surprise still present in her voice.

"Mmmhmm," Serena nodded and placed her hand on her chest as she walked next to Dawn.

"And that's your dad?" Dawn asked, looking at the blonde man standing next to Serena's mother.

"Yes," Serena nodded again. "It has been really long since I have seen him. I wonder what he's doing now," she whispered to herself, but her voice was loud enough for Dawn to listen to her.

"Your dad is not around?" the blunette asked curiously. Serena shook her head. "Then where is he?"

"I don't really know," Serena sighed aloud before continuing, "He rarely comes home. I don't even know what exactly it is that he does."

"Wow. That must be painful. I wouldn't want my parents to leave me like that for so long," Dawn stated.

"I know," Serena sighed. "But he does contact us time to time, so it's alright," she added, beaming brightly. Dawn tried to smile as well, knowing that there was an uncertain pain hidden behind that small smile as well.

Dawn looked away from her and back at the frame, her eyes scanning everyone in the photo. Aside from Professor Oak and Serena's parents, she did not really recognize the other couple as well. However, they did look familiar. She just could not remember them.

Serena's eyes stopped on the other couple, a beautiful brown haired woman, and a raven haired man. She did recognize them. How couldn't she? They were just like another family to her. Yet, for the first time, she felt so bad even seeing their photo. She held her left arm and looked down, feeling ashamed of herself. How painful it was for her not to be able to see them again.

"No way…"

Serena's trance broke when she heard a surprised gasp from next to her. She looked at her blue haired friend and then followed her gaze, her own eyes widened in surprise at what she saw. There he was, standing right next to her and beaming brightly. And they actually looked so young and innocent, her heart melted for a moment.

But then remembering that moment, her eyes furrowed in annoyance and she looked down. The reminder of that event kept haunting her ever since then. She just could not take it out of her mind. She still could not believe such a nice boy would do something like that to her. Huffing in annoyance, she turned around and walked away, her back facing the gigantic frame.

Dawn noticed the discomfort in her and quickly followed her. She took her seat next to Serena. There was brief silence. Dawn was staring at her worriedly and Serena refused to speak a single word. Finally, Dawn decided to end the silence, but the effort proved to be useless.

"I don't even want to talk about him!" she spoke sternly, shutting Dawn right when she opened her mouth. The blue haired girl stared at her blankly before she realized what had she just said. Her eyes flickered in annoyance.

"I wasn't talking about that, you know," she stated. "I wanted to say that if you did not keep yourself composed around him, this might not work out at all."

"Doesn't really matter!" Serena yelled. "I know he's not going to do anything anyway." She crossed her arms over her chest and huffed as she sulked down on the couch further. "He just gets on my nerves so much… I… I don't even know what to do! He doesn't even care about this project as if I'm only one to take responsibility! If he doesn't care about it then why should I even try?"

Dawn stared at Serena blankly. Clearly, she wasn't expecting that outburst at all. Was she that mad at Ash?

"What's the point anyway? I know it's not going to work out… I'd do it by myself rather than begging him to help! He is just a spoiled brat…"

"Oh boy…"

When a disappointed sigh interrupted the girls, they looked at where the voice came from. Gary Oak was standing there, shaking his head in disappointment while scratching the back of his head. Initially, neither of them understood what the matter was, but at that moment Serena noticed a foot next to the entrance of the hall, behind where Gary was standing. It merely took her a moment to process everything and realizing what was happening.

All her anger vanished immediately and horror struck her. But before she could even think of something, she noticed a shadow leaving near the door. In the brief silence, she could listen to the footsteps fading away in the distance. No sooner the sound of a door slamming was heard and another silence filled the hall.

Serena was still stunned. What happened just a moment ago completely ruined her last chance to work everything out with Ash and somehow convince him to work with her on their project.

"Seriously?" When those words sank in, Serena finally escaped her thoughts back into reality. She looked at Gary who was giving her a disapproving look. "Do you even realize how hard it was to convince him? And you had to do this now?"

The words did their job, hitting right on the mark. Now that she thought about it with a calm mind, she realized, she was being overdramatic. There was no need to rant about it like that. And to make it worse, Ash was right there the whole time, listening to everything she said. She just ruined everything on her own. If only she could control herself better.

Serena took her eyes off Gary and stared at the photo frame, observing his younger self closely. For the first time that day, she was feeling guilty. And this time she knew that she was the one at fault. It couldn't get any worse, could it?

"You know," Gary interrupted her thoughts, "He was actually willing to help you out this time."

"Wait…What?"

And it came as another surprise that she could not handle at all.

* * *

 **Basically, I have no reason to lie. But sometimes I feel like I'm leaking more than I should. But that's something I would like to ask you. Am I really?**

 **Anyway. So here is something you should know. Remember when I said I would have to put this story aside for a while? Well. The day hasn't exactly come but I have gotten myself very busy lately and I don't think I can write all the time anymore. I will try and keep the updates biweekly (i.e, one chapter every two weeks) but it is possible I will skip on many occasions. So please be patient because this story is hardly the one I can ever abandon. This is currently my favorite and nearly fully planned as well. The first installment at least.**

 **On the side note, this can delay the next update for The Twisted Love (formerly known as Amourshipping: Stockholm Syndrome). But since I will have it entered in the Pokemon Wattys of this year, I will have it completed in next few months. I guarantee this much to you. Because the deadline for the contest is 31st October.**

 **Well. Please review. I really do appreciate them.**

 **I will see you next time.**


	12. Chapter 11

When Serena noticed Ash coming from the other side, for a moment all her worry faded. Somewhat excited, she fastened towards him.

"Hey Ash…" she said as her feet led her towards him. However, Ash simply moved aside and brushed past her, not sparing even a glance for her. Serena could only stare back at him, her lips curling downward from a smile to a frown.

Some days had passed now since the incident. Ash has refused to even look at her, let alone hold conversation. And realizing it was her mistake entirely, Serena could only feel ashamed of her behavior. She had been trying ever since to talk to him, but he always ignored her.

"Hey, Serena!"

A loud cry broke the honey haired girl's trance and she turned around. Dawn was rushing towards her. She stopped in front of her and Serena could not help but raise her eyes at her friend's frantic expression.

"You won't believe it!" Dawn said her voice loud and anxious. "Professor Juniper is demanding everyone to submit the draft of their projects within a couple of weeks!"

"What?!"

"It's true," Dawn said while breathing heavily. "Gary told me. Professor Juniper and Professor Oak were talking about it earlier today."

"You can't be serious," Serena said, her voice wavering. A look of disbelief came over her face. "What am I going to do now? I haven't even decided what to do!"

It was something she and Ash were supposed to work upon together. But the recent events had completely shattered the mere idea of the possibility of them working together again. And as much as she hated to admit it, without Ash's assistance she was completely helpless now.

"I'm so dead…"

* * *

"Gah!"

Ash gritted his teeth and clenched his arms tight as he stumbled back. The pain was too much for him to bear and he lost his balance right there and fell on the floor. His arms were completely turned red. There was a weird fiery sensation inside his arms earlier. When he tried to cool them down the pain only intensified.

"Hey, Ash! You in there?"

Ash heard Gary calling him. The sound of his footsteps was nearing him. A horrified look came over his face. Still gritting his teeth, Ash proceeded to roll the sleeves of his jacket down. Right when he finished, Gary entered, his mouth opened agape and eyes widened at the sight.

"Holy…Wha…What's going on?!"

Gary rushed to his friend's side. He knelt down and made Ash wrap his arm around his neck and placed his own hand around his waist before forcing him to stand up. He tried to lead Ash out of the washroom but Ash strained against him. His struggle was unexpectedly strong and he easily managed to slip out of Gary's grip before leaning against the wall.

Ash was still holding his arms but motioned towards Gary with his hand. "I'm fine," he said, breathing heavily. His voice was barely above a whisper. "Just… Just give me a moment…"

"I'm not buying that again!" Gary snapped and moved towards him. "What is going on with you? You have been acting very strange for quite some time now!"

"Trust me," Ash grumbled, "You wouldn't want to get involved in this one."

Gary furrowed his eyes and at that moment Ash regretted what he had let out. He looked away from him. The brief distraction was enough to make him surrender to the pain. Closing his eyes, he let out a long breath. He was so lost in his own world that he did not even hear footsteps moving towards him. His trance shattered when Gary placed his hand on his head.

"You seriously need to come with me," the brunette said. "You have a really bad fever." Ash opened his mouth to say something but Gary beat him. "Don't worry about the lectures. I will get you your history lessons…" he paused – a small, reassuring smile coming over his face as he continued – his hands resting on his waist, "…but at the rate you're reading books I don't think you might even need them."

Ash did not speak this time, nor did he protest anymore. Gary grabbed Ash's arm – completely ignoring as Ash winced silently behind him – and led him out of the washroom.

"You really need to take some rest right now," Gary said. "Just come with me to the infirmary and let me handle everything else."

"You don't have to do that," Ash said in a low voice from behind.

Gary looked at him with a blank expression before smiling slyly. "What kind of friend am I then?"

* * *

"So is everyone here? Perfect. Let's star-"

"Professor Juniper!" Gary interrupted with his loud voice echoing in the room. Professor Juniper turned into the direction of the voice and noticed Gary rushing towards her with the door open behind. With the eagerness in his movements and frantic expression over his face, nobody could help but wonder what was going on.

"He is still not here…" Serena muttered, her eyes gazing at the empty seat some rows ahead of her.

"Calm down at least for now," Dawn sighed, "Your whining is not gonna help you."

Serena could not argue back. But the feeling of anxiety would not fade away. She was growing worried. She was not looking forward to losing her marks because of something so silly. And Ash was nowhere to be found. He had completely isolated himself.

Still fiddling with her fingers, the honey-haired girl looked up and noticed Gary talking with Professor Juniper about something. She could not quite catch their words, but from the look on Professor's face, she knew it was something serious.

However, her expression changed suddenly into a more understanding one. Serena could not help but wondered what really was going on. The school has always been a mystery to her. There was always someone hiding something from her.

"Okay everyone," Professor said after a long pause, her hands clasped together. Gary walked towards his own seat, the one next to Ash's. "Before we start today's lesson, I have an announcement for you. It has been over some weeks now since I have given you your projects. Now, I would like to see your progress on them…"

The entire room was filled with disappointed moans and students soon broke into whispering. The quiet room became noisy in no time. With the words finally out of her mouth, Serena felt herself weakening already. She slumped her head down on the table, groaning.

"…but you don't have to worry. I am giving you another week. All I need is the draft of your progress, but make sure to make it presentable."

"What am I going to do now?"

"Well…" Dawn breathed, but Serena did not seem to notice her. She seemed truly troubled and desperate at the moment and Dawn pitied her. She smiled downwards and turned ahead. She flipped to the last page of her notebook and started writing something. When done, she tore it off, crumbled it up in a ball and carefully – making sure that Professor Juniper wasn't noticing – threw it forward.

The paper ball hit Gary head on and then fell down into the hood of his jacket. Gary placed his hand on the back of his head and then inside the hood, looking for it. He grasped the paper, pulled it out and opened it. As his eyes scanned what was written in it, he finally realized what he was meant to do.

He turned around and noticed Dawn looking at him anxiously. He grinned and gave her thumbs up. He mouthed her 'gotcha!' and Dawn sighed in relief.

"Is there something you would like to share with us, Gary?" Professor Juniper's voice broke his trance and he turned forward again – bowing down his head apologetically while Dawn giggled quietly at the misfortune of her brunette friend.

* * *

"What do you mean he would listen?"

"I never said he would listen," Dawn breathed before continuing. "Just give him some time. Gary said he would figure it out."

"If you say so," Serena sighed. She grasped the straps of her bag as she walked in the long hallway. "…but I don't know. Why would he even listen to anyone anymore?"

"Relax!" Dawn pestered. "It's Gary we are talking about. If anyone can convince Ash to do anything, it's him!"

Serena blinked and glanced at her blue haired friend blankly. "Honestly. Why is Gary even willing to help?" she asked, curious. "Last time I remember he never owed me any favor."

"Don't be ridiculous," Dawn said, her voice ended with a bitter tone. "Of course he isn't doing this for you. There is someone else on the other side as well."

"You mean…"

Dawn sighed. "As long as it helps Ash, Gary would do anything." She placed her hands behind her head and looked up. "Gary has always been like that. I don't even know how he and Ash managed to become such close friends. Honestly, if it was me instead of Ash I would have freaked out by now."

"They do seem close…" Serena muttered, her grip on the straps tightening as she stared down the hallway.

"I don't understand any of it. Maybe it's a boy thing?"

"Maybe…"

Truthfully, Serena did understand most of it, if not all of it. She was once his friend as well. Best friend – precisely. But the Ash in front of her now wasn't the same boy she remembered.

He changed.

Maybe that's why she couldn't hold onto him anymore. But what could have happened to him? She remembered asking this to Dawn and Lara many times. Lara did not seem to know anything but Dawn outright refused to talk. Everyone was keeping secrets from her. She had never felt so isolated.

"I know something!" Dawn suddenly halted and Serena glanced at her, confused. "Today is Saturday. How about I come to your place?"

"My place?"

"Yeah. Tomorrow is a day off. I might even stay for the night," Dawn nodded. "So. What do you say?"

"Uh, sure," Serena muttered. "I don't have any problem with that."

"Perfect then!" Dawn exclaimed. "I will see you after school!" And with that excitement bubbling inside her she took off to her next class.

Serena sighed and shook her head. A small smile came over her face. If not for Dawn, she had no idea how she would handle herself. Dawn made all her worry dissipate – albeit temporarily.

When Serena looked up at the clock, she realized that it was nearly time for their next class. But as far as she was informed, Professor Elm was absent and there was no substitute either. Professor Oak had asked her to see him during her free time. So she moved, her feet leading her to the awfully quiet and dark hallway.

"Strange," Serena muttered as she walked. Her eyes glanced at the rather dark clouds – through the window – moving towards the school. She could see the lightning at some distance. As the wind blew inside the building, berating everything in its way, Serena was tempted to rub her widely exposed arms. The sudden change was rather apprehensive to her – as if she was certain something was about to happen. "Was it supposed to rain today?"

At that instant, a loud voice echoed in her ears. She stood there half dazed, unable to register what just happened. She was tempted to accuse the stormy clouds but the noise was far more suspicious.

She took another moment to realize that the voice came from somewhere around. She glanced at the corner up ahead. Without giving another thought she rushed for it.

"So you think you can play it cool, huh?"

As much as curious she was to inquire the commotion, she knew there was a right place and a right time for everything. Her movements halted right at the edge of the corner. She stood there, breathing shakily before peaking around the corner.

A blue haired boy had pinned someone against the locker. She didn't need a closer inspection to realize that it was the same boy who was trying to hit on her some while ago. But she was curious about the other boy who was surrounded by a few.

The blue jacket – which she considered warm – had a hood which was mostly covering the face of the boy. For a moment, she thought it was Gary. The jacket was far more familiar. But she doubted someone with connections to high authorities would be bullied by someone so easily. Gary was too good to get dragged into something like this. And even if he would, he would make his way out without much trouble.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you punk!"

The blue haired boy – didn't Gary said he was Damien? – stepped back, seemingly agitated. He attempted his best to act intimidate but the said boy could hardly affect the other one. When no response came from him, Damien snatched the boy's bag off his shoulder.

A brief line of sight showed her that the boy was hardly interested in the event. His hands were inside the pockets of the hooded jacket. But most importantly, he was leaning against the lockers rather lazily.

Serena could hear the sound of ruffling as Damien shuffled through the bag of the boy. She glanced at his hands and – isn't that bag –?!

"Damn it!"

She felt like her breathing stopped when Damien threw the bag towards the boy. The bag berated the locker before falling down. When Damien stepped back again – out of frustration – Serena finally noticed the victim. Her eyes widened and her mouth slightly opened agape.

One of the boys noticed a book coming out from the bag with a few papers – slightly visible – stuck between it. He knelt down and took it. As he scrolled through it his eyes rose in confusion. However, he never anticipated Ash to suddenly lunge at him.

But he was pushed back before he could snatch the book.

Damien raised his eyes with interest before his lips curved into a smirk. He took the book and hover it in front of Ash as if teasing him. Ash only gave him a blank expression. There was no frustration or irritation but an unreadable expression.

"This will ought to teach you not to meddle with our business," Damien said and motioned with his hand to hand him something. One of the boys reached out in his pocket and brought up a lighter. Before Serena could comprehend anything, let alone decide to interfere, flames were ignited in front of her eyes.

Serena clutched the edge of the wall tightly. Her heartbeat fastened. But her body felt numb. Even in her right mind, she was unable to move. Her eyes wouldn't move away. She could not help but watch – helplessly – as Damien kept the lighter below the book. The edge of the book finally turned black and flames started spreading up.

Ash's eyes never left Damien's as the book burned between them. But finally, he let go, closing his eyes briefly as he sighed. His head tilted to the left and as his eyes opened, the edge of his lips curved into a very faint smirk.

Before anyone could understand the meaning behind his laid back attitude – even now – the flames suddenly fastened. The whole book was engulfed into it, not within a moment and Damien found his hand caught up as well. It took him a moment to realize it but as he felt his arm heating up, starting to burn him – he reacted. Letting out a loud grumbling sound he shook his arm. The book dropped and Damien stepped back. His hand was constantly beating the flames but they refused to die. Still groaning in pain, he stepped back and against the locker.

His friends came to his rescue and attempted to beat the flames down but were failed. After a certain point, they even became petrified of it. The flames would not let Damien go, no matter what.

For a brief moment, Damien noticed Ash gazing at him. His eyes were still unreadable but he could swear he noticed an unfamiliar glint among them. His auburn eyes momentarily felt like raging as fire and Damien let out a loud cry. He completely succumbed to the pain – unable to put a stop to it.

"Stop-it-Stop-it-Stop-it-! Damn it! I beg you please stop this-"

Words came out of his mouth on their own, and never did Serena saw someone so terrified before. His voice was completely wavering and he was on the verge of tears. The pain was abundant in his voice but the petrified look on his face as he looked up at Ash – never did Serena realize how horrific Ash was looking at the moment.

Ash closed his eyes and let out a sigh. A gush of wind came out of nowhere and tugged hard on everyone. Serena felt her knee length skirt moving along with it and quickly pressed it down. Her hair swayed wildly but she couldn't care less.

Blinking her eyes through the hazy vision, Serena was able to look back up at the situation. Her eyes widened when she realized that the fire had dissipated as if it was never there at the first place. But the burn marks were the evidence of his suffering, his horror, and his humiliation.

Somehow managing to stand back up to his feet, Damien merely paid any attention to anyone and ran away – the rest following him with the somewhat equally petrified look. Damien turned around the corner and ran past Serena – showering the floor with the sprinkling tears from his eyes – but did not even notice her.

Still somewhat shaken up, Serena managed to catch up with her senses and quickly turned around the corner. Her feet, however, halted right at the edge as she stared at him.

Ash knelt down and placed his hand on the book. Considering how much flames were devouring it – it looked rather fine. But the damage initially done in front of him was already done. The burn marks were still present. His eyes then landed on the lighter that Damien had dropped earlier along with the book. He held it – the book as well – and stood up.

It was then that he realized that he has an audience. He looked up and noticed Serena around the corner where Damien had run off to, at some distance. Her mouth was slightly opened as she stared at him. He was unsure of her expression. He could not quite catch it. Nor that he cared. With his eyes dropping down to the floor he walked past her and down the opposite corridor.

With the darkness dawning over the school – Serena soon lost him from her sight.

Serena did not visit Professor Oak right after. She took a detour. She had to. With a lot of things running in her mind she was certain she wouldn't be helpful to the professor in any way. The image of Damien bullying Ash was something she did not want to witness. She knew that blue haired boy was no good – but attempting something like that was rather unacceptable.

But the thought wasn't in general – but specific and personal. It wasn't about Damien, but Ash. And it made her double check her priorities. Not only was it so because he was bullying Ash but his attempt backfired in the most bizarre way she could think of.

Ash wasn't even fazed – not even when Damien's arm was on fire. If something, he looked completely neutral. And to her, he looked very sinister. It wasn't the Ash she knew. It wasn't the boy she thought he was.

And then there was something about those flames – Damien wasn't only hurt but terrified as well. The flames did not seem to affect him as much as Ash did – and so without doing anything. Damien's words as he cried – Serena was certain Ash had some sort of involvement. But she could not prove it. She had no evidence.

In the end, it was only her intuition that she could hardly believe.

Serena was surprised to see the familiar sight on the desk of the professor when she entered the Principal's chamber. Professor Oak began to greet her but was put short.

"Wh-Where did you get this from?" Serena asked suddenly.

Professor Oak let out a sigh. He did not seem suspicious or even mad at her but decided to answer instead. It was something he would do whenever they were alone. He might be the school's principal, but only in front of them.

"Ash…"

That was all he said, his voice was slightly above a whisper. She knew he wanted to continue and he was about to continue, but something stirred inside her at that moment. And before Professor Oak could even open his mouth to speak something Serena beat him to it.

"This… This wasn't Ash's fault," she said not only suddenly but rather loudly.

Professor Oak found himself staring at her with a confused expression. His eyes dropped a little as he breathed and then glanced down at the half burnt book and a lighter in front of him. He looked back at her.

"What do you mean? This is reported by a teacher," he said.

"Ash didn't do it, professor. Trust me," Serena said as she walked towards Professor. Caught up in the moment she slammed her hands on the desk – something the old man was used to by now out of their familiarity but never complained. "Damien was the one."

"Damien?" Professor wondered, now more interested. "Are you certain?"

"I saw it, professor," Serena persisted. "He was harassing Ash. But when he did not respond Damien burned this book. I… I think there's something inside the book." Serena grabbed the book and scrolled through it. However, the ashes of the burnt pages flew around as the pages ruffled against each other. Serena could not find anything either.

Professor Oak sighed longingly. His eyes were rather dim and his shoulders very, very relaxed. For a moment, Serena feared he did not believe her.

"But… But I swear there was something!"

"I'm not saying I don't trust you. And knowing Ash… He might have taken whatever it was with him," Professor replied calmly, his expression never changed. Serena could not catch a lot from his expression but she was certain he seemed too tired for his own good. "You can take a seat."

Serena took a long breath. Her shoulders relaxed and her breathing rate became much more normal. She silently sat on a chair opposite to him.

"Now. Tell me more about it. In detail."

"I… I was coming to see you when I saw them," Serena started after a long pause. "He was harassing Ash for some reasons. But Ash looked like he wasn't even interested. Damien was trying to get on his nerves but Ash never responded and… and when he noticed that book… he just burnt it. I don't know what happened after. His clothes caught up the flames and he was hurt… petri–" She could not bring herself up to continue. A sense of insecurity dwelled inside her. She knew the consequences of it as well. "P-paralyzed too. When the flames died he ran away…"

Professor stared at her for a moment. His eyes were neutral and noticing her from every expects as if reading her.

"Is that all…?" Professor said. Serena was certain there was more than just curiosity behind those words and she momentarily paused. Her mind raced and she found herself on the middle line, unsure where to lean on.

Should I tell him? Or should I not?

He was just like a family. Not only has he known her for so long he has known Ash for longer. Surely he would understand.

But in the end, her insecurity won over. She could not betray Ash over something she feared herself.

"There were a few more guys with Damien…" Serena added quietly. And that was all she said. She refused to give up under Professor Oak's glance which seemed to be asking for more.

Professor Oak finally let out a sigh and pressed his hands against his head, his arms resting on the desk.

"I will go through it, thank you for your help," Professor said. Serena quietly nodded.

"You wanted to talk about something?" she asked after a while.

"Ah-Yes…" Professor said. He seemed to brighten up a bit but the expression faded soon and an apologetic look took over. "Unfortunately… I am very tired right now. Can you possibly come over another day?"

"O-Of course," Serena replied. She stood up and stepped aside from the chair before bowing down to him. "Have a good day," she said and with that, left the chamber.

As the door closed behind her, Professor Oak finally let his eyes wander on the book. A lighter was placed right next to it. He took it and brought it closer, inspecting it.

"No commotion but an accident," he muttered to himself. "What are you up to now son?"

* * *

They were indeed stormy clouds, just like she had expected. The rain was pouring down heavily and even with the windows closed, she could feel the wrath of the heavy rain.

The school ended shortly after her talk with Professor Oak. Serena met Dawn on the way who made sure to remind her of her arrival. By the time they reached the entrance – it was already raining heavily. Lara was kind enough to let Dawn under her umbrella as they parted from Serena and headed to their respective buses. But Serena had to wait.

She spent most of her time standing against a pillar – her back leaning against it and her hands crossed behind her, watching students leave. Some of them were over enthusiastic and straightforward jumped in the rain. Some did not seem too fond of rain. She even noticed some more students assisting others – a few them came out to be cute couples.

But she noticed him too.

Ash did not glance at her but did seem to notice her. He decided to stand on the other side of the entrance, watching the downpour with an uncertain expression. He stood there just like that for a while and Serena continued to glance at him.

The wind suddenly fastened and water drops came after them as well. Serena did not bother to move but Ash reacted rather impulsively. He quickly took a step back and zipped up the jacket. He wore the hood up and placed his hands quickly inside the pockets of the hooded jacket. At that moment, Serena felt like he was overdoing it. He acted like he hated rainwater with every ounce of his heart.

The school started to get empty and no sooner the two were standing together – alone. But Serena did not dare move, however, the thought of communicating with him came soon after she realized he was unable to leave, just like her.

And no matter what he would do, she knew, he wouldn't be able to run away this time.

She stood straight and took only a step when someone came and patted Ash on the back.

"I thought you would have left," Gary said as he tugged his arm around Ash's neck and pulled him closer.

"Can't even if I want to," Ash said with a smile, trying to get free from Gary's grip. "You have got something?"

"Yep!" Gary raised his other arm and revealed an umbrella in his grasp. It was completely black. He opened it and – surprisingly – it opened wider than Ash had thought. "Get in already," Gary said as he stepped out, the umbrella hovering over him.

Ash followed behind but was nearly pushed out by Gary. Gary let out a hearted chuckle as Ash glared at him. In the trance of the moment, Gary looked around and noticed Serena standing on the other side of the porch.

"Hey!" Gary waved his arm wide. "You wanna get in? There is a lot of space."

"No that's okay." Serena shook her head. "My mom will be coming soon," she added and then gave a brief glance at Ash. The raven haired boy wasn't even looking at her and for the first time in a while, she felt the familiar sadness dwelling inside her heart. She took a long breath, inhaling the sweet scent of rainy air – her hands clasped behind her back and held tight.

"If you say so…" Gary responded. He gave her a quick wave before the two boys walked off. She stared at them until they turned around and left her sight.

And Serena found herself all alone.

She was lucky, though, as her mother came right after. And such she found herself sitting in the front seat of the car, the seatbelt strapped around her. She was pulled out from her trance when the car bumped over – seemingly a rather big stone in the way.

Serena leaned her head on the window and sighed, thinking about the events of the day. The day was – strangely – tiring. Maybe a hot shower would do it… She thought.

"Mom," she called, not looking back at her. When her mother hummed in response, she continued. "Can Dawn stay for the night? She is coming over today.


	13. Chapter 12

"Your room has quite a view…"

Serena looked at Dawn; the blunette was sitting on her bed. She was wearing nothing sort of fancy, but Serena could not help but disagree with her choice for a moment. Nor that she did not look nice, but she could catch a cold in that short sleeved t-shirt and shorts.

Serena hummed quietly before turning away. Her head leaned back on the window and she started tracing her finger against the glass as if playing with the water drops on the other side of the window.

The rain hadn't stopped yet. Quite strangely it appeared to have the same, constant intensity even now. When the lightning flashed in the sky and roared, it was then Serena realized how bad the weather was outside. She was surprised that Dawn managed to come all the way to her house without getting soaked from head to toe.

"So…" Dawn moaned, "…what are we going to do?"

"I don't know…" Serena replied, quietly, her fingers still tracing over the window.

"Don't you have anything in mind?" Dawn asked.

"I don't know…" Serena replied.

"Well, uh… how about we bake something?"

"I don't know…"

"Well then…you can show me your wardrobe," Dawn said thoughtfully. "I like your fashion sense."

"I don't know…"

"Um… We can play something?"

"I don't know…"

"You know… How about you show me that photo album you have?"

"I don't know…"

"Serena… Are you even listening to me?"

"I don't know…"

It was then Serena realized what she had said. Her eyes blinked and she turned to Dawn who looked as confused as she was herself. She sighed. Her hand grabbed the hem of her skirt and fiddled with it.

"What's wrong?" Dawn asked, her voice became heavy and eyes lowered.

"I don't…I really don't know," Serena muttered. She sat up from her leaning position and placed her hands on the either side.

"You have been acting strange ever since I left you in school," Dawn stated. "What happened?"

Serena sighed and stared down at her lap. "It's about Ash…"

"Oh," Dawn mused. "Alright."

"It's not really like that," Serena said, looking up, her voice rising at the shallowness in Dawn's voice. "I just… I saw him today and… Damien was bullying him."

"Damien?" Dawn blinked. "Are you sure about it?"

"I saw them," Serena said.

"This is all bothering you?" Dawn murmured. "I thought you hate him."

"I…" Serena bit her lips and looked away. "He was my friend, Dawn. How can you expect me not to worry about him?"

"I don't," Dawn replied, raising her hands. "Whatever it is between you two, it is too complex for me to understand. I don't think I would want to get involved."

Her words were harsh and bitter, but Serena could not argue. Dawn was right. Why would anyone want to involve themselves in other's personal business?

"It's not like I can stop you." Serena looked up at Dawn, surprised. "In the end, it's your own decision…if you are happy with it, I don't really mind."

"I don't know if I'd be happy… I don't even know if I'm happy." Serena clasped her hands and placed them on her lap. "…I don't even know if I'm mad at him anymore… It is just so complicated. I don't know what to do."

"Well, for the beginners I will suggest you do something about your face…" Serena stared at Dawn. Her eyes blinked and she found herself unable to speak. "…just smile or something, okay? That look doesn't suit you. You look like you have just broken up with someone…"

Unable to comprehend anything Serena stared at the blunette for a while, but then a smile cracked on her lips. She stared down at her lap shyly.

"That's much better!" Dawn exclaimed happily, her hands clasping together. "Now… How about you get that album? I want to see it."

Serena got up and walked to her bookshelf. She knelt down and pulled out one thick book. It looked much cleaner now that she found it again shortly before leaving Kalos. She had made sure to keep it in good condition this time.

Serena walked back and sat on her bed. She placed the album between her and Dawn and the blunette eagerly turned to it.

Initially, the album only had her parents' photos. Dawn was more focused on the flipping of pages than the pictures. But once she noticed Serena among those – she could not help but let out a squeal.

"That's you!" Dawn cried at the sight of a newborn baby crying in her father's arms. "You look so cute!"

Serena could not agree less. But the words still felt embarrassing to her. She, however, chose not to show it. Dawn, meanwhile, turned the page, her eyes widening at the sight.

Dawn had heard about Grace. She was a popular – although now retired – Ryhorn racer after all. And looking at the several trophies that Serena's mother was holding up, Ryhorn beside her every time, Dawn realized, Grace was far more amazing than she could ever imagine.

"You have been supporting your mom since you were young?" Dawn said, her eyes fixated on an image as she saw the young Serena rooting for her mother. Her father was barely able to hold her back from falling on the track itself.

"Kind of…" Serena said sheepishly, her hand rubbing the back of her head. When Dawn looked up, curious at the change in her voice, Serena averted her gaze. "…I just don't like it when she forces me to train as well…"

Serena could not help but glare at Dawn. But the blue haired girl was far too amused to notice Serena and continued to laugh.

"You are amusing…" Dawn said between giggles.

"Whatever…" Serena huffed and turned away, crossing her arms over her chest.

Her lips still curled into a wide smile, Dawn once again looked down at the album. Her hand continued to move at a slow pace as she kept moving further. Her smile, however, faded soon. Her eyes still stayed the same, the amusement still present but she felt far more curious.

"You and Ash do seem close…" Dawn muttered her voice barely above a whisper.

When Serena looked back at Dawn, her face was tilted down and her eyes had lowered. With such an uncertain expression, Serena doubted if she was speaking to herself or not. Nonetheless, Serena followed her gaze and saw her – younger – self with Ash in a photo. Realization dawned upon her and she sighed, leaning back until she was finally lying on the bed.

"I don't know…"

"How long have you known each other?" Dawn asked, now looking at Serena.

"I think I was four back then, close to five…"

"Wow," Dawn mused. "…that's quite long." Serena giggled to herself and closed her eyes. Her hands brought a pillow close and she hugged it. "And now…? He doesn't even remember you." Serena felt her grip tightening against the pillow. She moved it up and covered her face with it.

"There would be a reason…" Serena said and pressed the pillow tight. "He seems different… and tense." Her voice started to muffle as she continued, but that certain hollowness was present.

The rain water started shattering and berating the window of the room. The sound of the wind blowing past could be heard. As the lightning flashed in the sky, the pace of the rain seemingly intensified. And as Dawn looked out of the window, she was certain, she could feel sadness swelling inside her.

"What is bothering you…?" Dawn asked, breaking the brief silence. Serena took the pillow off her and looked at Dawn, her eyes blinking at her. "…something _really_ happened in the school. You are not just concerned…so what is it really?"

Serena sighed and sat up. She brought her feet up and crossed them, the pillow still pressed against her chest.

"What happened to Ash?"

"Something…?" When Serena answered, she did not realize how uncertain she sounded. "…I don't know at all. I know they were bullying him. They even tried to burn a book in front of him…but he never responded. And then Damien's arm caught fire…and Ash just kept staring at him with those eyes…"

Dawn noticed Serena pulling the pillow closer. Her hands clenched into a fist. Even her lips were quivering. Dawn could not help but pity the blonde.

"There is a lot you still don't know…" the blue haired girl muttered. Serena turned to look at her and Dawn gave her small, sad smile. Serena opened her mouth to say something but words did not come out. "…Ash has a weird obsession of fire. Sometimes, if something is burning, he would just stare at it with a blank expression as if reading it… It kind of creeps me out sometimes."

Dawn crossed her arms together, enclosing herself. Her eyes stared down in her lap.

"There was even a rumor in the school once that Ash can control fire…" Serena felt her eyes widening for a moment. Words begged to come out, but she could not bring herself to do so. "Gary was the one spreading the rumor…said it was amusing to mess with Ash." Dawn added and let out a small laugh.

Serena smiled nervously, tried to laugh as well, but her expression remained mostly the same. The rain battered the window for a brief moment and Dawn looked into the direction, wondering if a storm was coming soon.

"But how can someone control fire…?"

"It's unlikely that he can do that," Dawn said. "I said it was Gary spreading the rumor. Ash was ignoring him for quite some time and…I guess Gary wanted some attention. Even I really don't know. That's what I heard…"

"Mmmhmm," Serena muttered, her eyes closing. Her body felt weak and she did not bother to protest when she felt herself falling asleep. She landed on the bed again – sideways. Her arms adjusted around the pillow and she placed her chin over it. As her eyes opened, she found herself thinking about him – again.

"Why so sudden interest, though?" Dawn asked.

"I don't know…" Serena muttered, her eyes lowering further. "…he intrigues me. He always has."

"Oh…"

Dawn felt a certain uneasiness dwelling inside her. The mere thought that Ash could intrigue someone was hardly believable. She thought, after everything that happened, maybe Serena would see the truth. She even ended up hurting herself – and the only reason she found herself trying to pursue him because they were forced to work together.

But even after everything, she was still as much as concerned about the boy as she was before. Nothing changed. She was still running after him, and Dawn wondered – _just what type of relationship do you have with him?_

"…can we not talk about him?" When Dawn said that, she felt Serena stiffen on the bed. "I just…I don't think I want to talk about him right now. It's just…you know…"

Dawn tried, over and over again, but she failed. She wanted to say much more, but she knew she was being selfish.

"I'm…I'm sorry."

In the end, that was all Dawn could let out. She did not want to lie to herself, but she could not find the courage to tell herself otherwise.

Serena never responded to her words.

Dawn stared at Serena, her back towards her and long hair – now tied into a ponytail – resting on the bed. Dawn could not help but stare at her hair. They looked soft and she felt like touching them. And then that shade was certainly a different one from other blondes she had seen. She realized – she liked her hair.

"Why do you hate him…?"

Dawn took a while, to process what she heard, but replied nonetheless. "I don't hate him…" Her fingers twiddled with each other as she stared at her lap. "…maybe I just don't like him. He gives that kind of feeling that you don't want to be around him…"

Serena felt her eyes lowering further, her arms tightening around the pillow. "…why would you say that now?" she whispered, her voice was so low that she could not be certain if Dawn even heard her.

"You are different, you know?" Dawn muttered. Serena turned around on the bed – lying straight – and looked at Dawn. "Besides Gary… You are the only one who can tolerate him."

"He is not that bad…" Serena said, biting her lips at her own words. She felt Dawn staring at her, an uncertain flame ablaze in her eyes. "He has changed, I know… but he wasn't like this before. He was a nice guy – always happy and smiling. But now he feels very…lonely, and insecure." Serena paused, her voice dropped to a whisper. "…he doesn't even talk to me anymore"

"I don't know," Dawn muttered, her hands once again reaching out for the album. She went through it further, glancing at several photos. "…how can you even like him?"

"It depends on what you really mean by _liking_ him…" Serena stated. Her eyes closed briefly and she let out a sigh. "…I would say you never gave him a chance. Maybe if you'd looked inside him…"

"Mmmhmm," Dawn hummed, her lips curving into a small smile. But Serena did not bother to look up at her, even though her heart ached at the amusement in the blue haired girl's voice. "…are you sure about that?"

Serena blinked, her head tilting towards Dawn as she looked at her, confused.

"I always had my doubts that there is something more about you two that you weren't telling…"

"What do you mean?"

When Dawn did not respond but instead gave a wicked smile, Serena sat up. Her eyes glanced at the source of Dawn's amusement, and she felt them widening and mouth falling agape at the sight.

It was one of those photos that she had always hoped to keep a secret, but never let them go away from her sight. And there was a reason. Even though embarrassing, they reminded her just how much she was fond of Ash, why she cherished Ash so much.

But now that Dawn had seen it, she felt tempted to throw the album out of the window.

"I swear!" Serena exclaimed, her hands clenching into fists and face heating up. "It's not like that!" She attempted to reach out for the album, but Dawn grabbed it and moved it behind her back. "Hey!" Serena could only stare as Dawn grinned at her – a hint of wickedness still present. "Give it back to me!"

Serena lunged forward and tried to grab a hold of the album, but ended up tackling Dawn down on the bed. Serena tried to reach out for the album but Dawn raised her arm wide, keeping it out of her reach. On noticing an opening, Dawn managed to push Serena off of her – a playful laughter filling the room, followed by an embarrassed squeal. When Dawn attempted to pin Serena down, she did not realize when the album slipped from her hand and fell on the floor.

The pace of the rain intensified. The raindrops started berating the window and the roof of the house harsher than before – but engaged with amusement and embarrassment, neither of the girls noticed that. There was a brief disruption in the flow of wind, the rain following the suit when Serena seemingly cried angrily. Dawn laughed at her reaction but barely paid attention outside the window.

The album, somehow stuck in a standing position at the foot of the bed, fell down from the physical commotion – opening where it had been left off.

Serena – her younger self – was sleeping peacefully; a white handkerchief with blue stripes was wrapped around her knees. Her hands were tucked under her chin while crossed together. She, however, had an arm wrapped around her from behind with the younger Ash holding her close, asleep as well.

"I hate you!"

* * *

 **Hey folks, here you had another chapter. Apologies for the delay, but sometimes I can't keep up with the schedule. But I hope that this chapter worth it. For the next chapter, you can expect it sometime earlier next month. It won't take too long, and I'm personally excited to finish it because it has one of my favorite moments of the story.**

 **Leave a review. Praise, suggestions, and criticism are accepted, hate - and specifically against Amour (it has been going on for a while in this community don't mind me) - is strictly not tolerable.**

 **I will see you next time!**

 **-Sam**


	14. Chapter 13

"Do you think it's a good idea?"

"Of course it is!"

"But…"

When Serena found herself questioning Dawn's words were the last thing that convinced her otherwise. The uncertainty was still there – had always been there – and no matter what she did, she could not help but realize how worrisome it would be. She could not help but feel apprehensive.

She knew it wasn't a good idea.

"You have no need to worry!"

And that gave her more reasons to worry.

Serena held her arms together and glanced away. "You know," she started, "there can be another way to-"

"No time!" Dawn said. "He is coming. We need to go!"

Before Serena could look around, a pair of hands forced her forward and with startling steps, she found herself pushed inside a café. A whimper escaped her lips as she tried to protest but found herself helpless as the door closed behind them.

"Don't sweat it, alright? I will be around – and watching, too."

Serena blinked – her mouth agape, and she found herself unable to speak when Dawn disappeared from her sight, leaving her all alone sitting next to a big glass panel. She let out a sigh and placed her arms on the table. Her eyes softened and she looked away, glancing at the street outside.

It was a quiet place. Gary had chosen a place situated on the outskirts of the Pallet Town as the rendezvous point. Dawn mentioned it to her once that Gary would drag Ash here whenever he felt like hanging out, and that made it the easiest pick without raising much suspicion.

The café wasn't entirely empty, but most people had chosen to sit further inside rather than on the edge. It gave her some room and Serena felt more comfortable as she pondered over her thoughts.

Dawn had come over at Serena's place yesterday and decided to stay for the night. And sometime around late in the evening while they were busy, Dawn received a call from Gary telling them that he had convinced Ash to meet him at a café they visit often. Serena was surprised to learn that she was the one supposed to meet Ash instead of him.

Serena knew from that very moment that it wasn't a good idea. She was not on good terms with Ash – and she hated it. Over the past few days, her anger had faded. She could not help but find herself at the point where she wished everything was normal again. She was ready to relentlessly chase after him. But whenever he would ignore her – it hurt.

He had made himself so isolated and unreadable; she could only imagine how he would react when he would learn that he was tricked. She was afraid that she would end up making things worse. And so she tried to argue back. In the end, she had to give in.

Gary and Dawn were too persistent. But she knew she was the one to blame, too – there was no other choice for her.

"Excuse me…" Serena turned around and looked up – her trance breaking. A waiter was standing there, a pad in his hand and a pen in another. "…what would you like to order?"

"I'm waiting for someone…" Serena said her voice small and polite. She gave a small smile when the waiter nodded.

When he walked away, Serena let out a sigh. Her hands grasped her arms and she looked down at the table. Her glance softened, and her mind was already occupied to process anything else. _What am I going to do?_ She thought. And she thought it over and over again.

In the end, it was all the same. Nothing made her feel better. And the longer she waited, more anxious she became. Her hands held her arms tight and she let out another sigh – the bell rang quietly when the door of the café opened.

Serena felt the familiar presence around her, the certain flame ablaze in front of her. When she looked up, she saw him, his feet leading him towards her. And at the moment she saw him, he noticed her too.

When their eyes met, his feet stopped and she found him standing in front of her, looking at her. He looked surprised – perhaps amused too? Serena noticed his hand moving – a card was flickering between his fingers. But when Serena looked back up at her, she noticed the frown replacing his uncertain expression. His eyes lowered and he cut the glance short – turning around and walking away.

"Ash, wait!" Serena called out, standing up as she followed after him. "Listen to me at least!" Her voice wasn't loud, but she was persistent. The emphasis was present in her voice – and it made him stop. She wasn't certain but she felt that he noticed it – he noticed that how desperate she sounded.

But she couldn't care less.

Ash breathed in, his hands moved up and covered his face. When he let the air out, the card stuck between his fingers slipped out and fell next to his feet. When his arms leaned down and straightened again, he prepared to walk out – but her voice interrupted him, again.

"Just this once…" He heard her call. Her voice was small, desperation was still there, and he knew why. "…please."

Serena shivered inwardly when he turned around and walked to her. She felt tempted to step back, but giving in wasn't an option. She breathed in, but did not move and tried to be strong.

"…your treat."

Serena felt another shiver running down her spine when he spoke in her ear, before walking past her.

Serena took another moment to process what she heard. Her hand moved to her heart and she closed her eyes, breathing the air out. When she turned around and returned, Ash was already sitting at her table. She took the seat opposite to him.

Ash had his arms crossed and placed on the table. He was looking out at the street, staring at the people passing by. His eyes spotted a certain young blonde on the street – the girl's small hand was wrapped around her mother's hand as they walked. He noticed – she was wearing a blue dress, the skirt ending above her knees. A bow was on the left side of her hair.

"What are you…?" Serena looked up, surprised when she heard Ash, his voice no more than a whisper. But the uncertainty vanished when she noticed his glance. "…five years old?"

She followed his glance and noticed a young girl – as he said – not more than five years old. When she looked back at him, her mouth opened slightly. His eyes softened and he looked down at the table. She was certain that he looked sad.

"Excuse me…" A familiar voice rang through her ears and Serena looked up – the same waiter from before was standing in front of her. "…what would two like to have?"

"Just water…"

Serena looked at Ash, surprised at his choice. But she looked back at the waiter when he turned to her. "Lemonade please…" she said.

"Would that be all?" When neither of them spoke, the waiter prepared to leave. But he was stopped – unexpectedly – by Ash.

"You know what…" Ash said, his one hand took the cap off his head and another ruffled his hair. He leaned back in the chair and looked up at the waiter. "…I think I will have the same. Oh and…can you possibly give me Rawst Berry too? That would be all…I guess."

The waiter wrote it down on the pad and nodded before walking away. A silence brewed between the two and Ash once again looked away, out at the street. His gaze softened again and a thoughtful look took over Serena as she stared at him.

Serena opened her mouth to say something, but the words refused to come out. Her lips pursed together and she looked down, away from him. For a brief moment, she caught a glimpse of a familiar sight. When she looked up at it, she noticed, it was Dawn looking at her – just like she had said.

When Dawn noticed her glance, she motioned with her hands towards Ash.

Serena sighed and turned away. She once again looked up at Ash, who was still looking away. She felt like her heart had stopped beating the moment she opened her mouth. She gulped down, her fingers twiddling together.

"Ash…?" Serena called in a light voice. But the raven-haired boy never responded. With such an expression – one that even defied his own true self – he looked relented. She found it hard to believe it was the same boy who had hurt her once before. And it even made her wonder – was it his fault at all?

He tried. He had warned her to stay away from him. But she did not listen. And it was rather a surprise to her when she heard from Gary that he regretted doing that.

And now looking at him like that, an unreadable expression on his face, she could not help but wonder –

 _–what is wrong with you Ash?_

But she could not bring herself up to speak it. She let out another sigh, still yearning for his attention.

"Ash," she called. He did not respond again. "Ash," she called a little louder. This time, in response, Ash turned to her and blinked, his mouth opened slightly and he truly looked out of his mind. "…are you even listening to me?"

"Yeah…" Ash breathed inwardly. His head leaned back on the chair and he looked up at the ceiling. "…I just have some things on my mind."

Serena was unsure of what prompted him to say that. She did not even know why he would even say that to her. But she could not help and wonder what he was thinking about.

 _What could it be that left him so dazed?_

But she could not question him. In the end, she was left helpless, unable to sate her curiosity.

A moment later, the waiter reappeared. He placed their drinks down and – as asked for – also placed a small plate filled with Rawst Berry down in front of Ash.

"So…" Ash leaned forward, his hands wrapping around his drink. "…what do you want from me?"

"Well…uh…" Serena bit her lips, inwardly, and looked down at her drink. "…I just want you to work with me on that project." She looked up, her eyes glancing at him. He silently took a sip of his drink but did not speak. She continued. "Professor Juniper wants everyone to present the draft of their project next week and um… we haven't even started."

"Is it so…?" Ash said, glancing down at his drink. His eyes turned towards the blue colored berries and he picked one of them. "And why do you think I would care?"

"Ash, please…I'm sorry," Serena said, holding herself back to not raise her voice. Ash, meanwhile, bit on the berry. With his eyes still holding the same softness, he gave no response on the taste of it. "I know I shouldn't have said that. But I was mad at you. You…You'd hurt me. How could you not expect me to?"

Serena shivered inwardly at the mere memory. The pain briefly resurfaced and she forced herself not to relive it. She moved her hand down to her lap and clenched them into a fist. Ash still did not respond. Instead, he took a sip of his drink. His eyes moved up and he briefly glanced at her before looking away.

"Ash, please," Serena pestered. "You know how much it means to me. I don't want to lose the marks over something like this. Can't you work with me?"

Ash leaned forward and placed his arms on the table. His hands covered his face as he closed his eyes. With the sound of his heavy breath even audible to her, Serena thought that she might have irritated him – somehow.

But she was not about to give up.

"Please?"

Ash suddenly stood up. His movements even shook the table. Serena felt like her heart had stopped beating. Her eyes glanced at him and her hands clenched her skirt.

He began to walk away.

Serena could not help but stare at him wide eyed. But as he walked past her, she could not herself back. She stood up and walked after him.

"Come on, Ash. Don't be so mean to me…" Serena called out after him. Her feet stopped and she soon found herself standing behind him – barely a few feet away from where she had been sitting before. "I said I'm sorry…" she said, her hand moving over to her heart.

"Six o'clock…evening…professor's lab…" Serena blinked, unable to process what she heard. His voice, however, felt rough. And she realized, he was panting heavily. "…now stop fo-following me…" Ash coughed at the end. Before Serena could grasp the situation he was already gone and out of his sight.

She was still overwhelmed by the fact that Ash had agreed, and was nearly startled when someone walked past her. It was just a brief glance, but she could swear it was Gary. The sound of the bell as the door opened and closed rang in her head and snapped her back into the reality. And it was then she realized how worried the brown haired boy looked.

"How did it go?"

Serena looked back and saw Dawn walking up to her, her arms behind her back. However, her eyes briefly caught the glimpse of something. When she looked down, next to her feet was a card. It was the same card that Ash had dropped earlier. She knelt down and picked it up.

Her eyes rose in confusion when she realized that it was an archeologist's card. A number was written on the corner with a name above it.

 _Spencer Hales._

"What did he say?"

Serena glanced at Dawn, now standing next to her. She let out a sigh and shook her head, her hand placing the card in her skirt's pocket.

"He refused?"

"No-No…" Serena shook her head again, her hair swayed left and right as she laughed nervously. "He wants me to meet him at Professor Oak's lab later."

"So all worked in the end?"

"Yeah…" Serena crossed her arms behind her back, her hands clasped together, and so did her feet, as she turned towards Dawn. "…I guess so."

"You will have to go alone this time. I won't there for you," Dawn said.

"I know…" Serena sighed as she spoke.

"I still can't believe he even listened to you," Dawn said, amused.

"You have no idea…" Serena shook her head disapprovingly. "Would you believe the only reason he stayed because I agreed to pay for him?"

"What?"

* * *

It did not come as a surprise to Gary when he saw Ash leaning against a wall in an alleyway, panting heavily. The raven haired boy had his hands clenched into a fist and his eyes were closed, his head was tilted up. Several beads of sweat were rolling down his forehead to his chin.

Gary's eyes lowered as he stared at him, unable to do anything.

Ash hadn't seen him yet, and Gary was thankful for that. He was never the one to admit it to anyone, but he hated seeing Ash in so much pain. It saddened him every time. He even felt tempted to hit Ash on occasions, but the raven haired boy would never tell him anything.

"Hey, Ash!"

Gary could swear that Ash whispered something under his breath about him and he chuckled. His arm reached out for Ash and wrapped around his neck. Gary pulled the raven-haired towards him and ruffled his hair.

Ash attempted to get away immediately.

"Don't be so mad now. I'd to do that. You don't listen to anyone." Ash somehow loosened the grip around him and got away from Gary. He looked up at the brunette, staring intently, before dropping his gaze to the ground and shaking his head. "So…what are you doing now?"

"Nothing," Ash muttered.

"Perfect!" Gary exclaimed, forcing his hand on Ash's shoulder. "We should definitely hang out!"

"Stop it," Ash murmured, shrugging the hand off his shoulder. When Gary frowned, he let out a sigh. "I'm meeting someone right now."

"But I thought Serena was coming later."

"Of course she is coming later – thanks to you…" Ash's tone changed in the end, and Gary could not help but chuckle. "But it's not that. I'm seeing someone else right now."

"Is it your girlfriend?"

"What?" When Gary gave him a knowing grin, Ash shook his hand. "Don't be ridiculous…"

"Serena won't like it…you know?" Gary elbowed Ash as he spoke, the raven haired boy glared at him. Gary chuckled and stepped back, walking backward. "Okay. Okay. Fine…I will let you go." Gary said, taking steps back, an amused expression still present on his face. "But she better be cute!"

"Would you stop it?"

"Nope!"

"Idiot."

* * *

When Serena arrived at the Professor's Oak lab, she thought she had missed her chance yet again. Ash had told her to visit the laboratory at six, and she was late. However, Ash wasn't around at all. She felt relieved – but the feeling faded and was replaced by frustration over next half an hour.

Ash did not show up at all.

The night had already fallen long ago. And Serena could not help but wonder for a moment, did he even mean anything he said earlier that morning?

Serena let out a sigh, her arms on her thighs and face in her hands. She could not help but stare in front of her – the gigantic frame occupying a large part of the wall. She hadn't looked closely before, but now that she observed it, the frame looked opulent.

Serena continued to stare at the frame, her eyes slowly lowering and she found herself looking at her – younger – self, standing next to Ash. Both of them were very young, and looked so innocent; a smile unknowingly made its way to her lips.

Serena found her thoughts wandering towards Ash again – but she felt helpless to stop. She breathed out. Her arms shot up and she leaned back on the couch. As her eyes looked up at the ceiling, she found herself losing herself to her thoughts.

"What happened to you…?" she whispered and felt her eyes closing. "…and you haven't even returned yet."

Her eyes opened when she remembered something. Her hand reached out for her skirt and pulled out a card from the pocket. Holding it in both the hands, she raised it high and stared at it.

"Spencer Hales…" Serena read out, her eyes narrowing. "…where have I heard your name before?" She could not help but wonder, her eyes closing again. "And what does Ash want from you?"

Serena opened her eyes again when she felt a tickling sensation running down her spine. When she looked down, she noticed Pikachu had perched over the couch and was now nudging against her thigh. When he realized she was looking at him, he looked up at as well and smiled, his small paw rising up.

"Pika-chu!"

Serena smiled. Her arms lowered and she placed the card back in the pocket, before reaching out for the electric type. She held his small body in her arms and pulled him close. Holding him against her chest, she let her hand run down the soft fur of the Pokemon.

"You are soft…" Serena whispered, feeling herself smiling more. Her eyes closed and she embraced Pikachu. "…and so warm…"

Pikachu cooed against her touch, and Serena was left contemplating on her own thoughts. She still could not believe such a gentle and friendly Pokemon could be Ash's. She could not help but wondered how they would have even gotten along in the first place.

Pikachu's ears rose suddenly. A certain presence called him. He looked towards the door and the hallway – able to listen to voices coming from another room. But before he could attempt to go after it, he found himself trapped in a gentle grip.

Serena opened her eyes and placed her chin on Pikachu's head. But her eyes suddenly opened wide and her lips curled into a smile.

"I know!" she exclaimed. "Do you want to see my Pokemon?" Serena reached out for her Pokeball as Pikachu turned around and looked at her. His head tilted towards a side. "You will love to see her!" she said before finally releasing her Pokemon.

When the light faded, the fire type stood on the floor, looking intently at her trainer. "Fenne-kin?" She could not help but cry out, confused when she saw Pikachu.

Serena quickly let the electric type go and he landed on the floor. Serena stood up and knelt down in front of them.

"Fennekin, do you remember Ash? That boy you saw in the album?" Fennekin nodded at her trainer's words. "This is Pikachu… his Pokemon!"

"Fenne-?" The fire type turned and looked at Pikachu as if inspecting.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu cried delightfully and raised his paw. Fennekin did not respond immediately but took her time. She was rather startled by Pikachu's sudden advance. But nonetheless, she greeted him back with her own cry and smiled. She did not find him harmless, but rather friendly.

Serena let out a smile, delighted that Fennekin was getting along with Pikachu. Her thoughts, however, were interrupted when she heard a loud voice ringing in the laboratory.

"So where is he now then?"

The voice was too loud for her to ignore – and familiar too. _When did Ash return?_ She could not help but wonder as she stood up.

"Where is he? Isn't it his responsibility to be here and tell this to me himself?"

Her feet moved and she found herself moving out of the room. Pikachu had already reacted when he heard the voice and made a dash for it, his ears perked up even now.

"Where is that man? Where is my dad?!"

As the time the scream did, the entire laboratory fell silent. And by the time Serena exited the room she saw Gary running down the stairs. He stopped amidst and looked down the hallway below him, his eyes briefly meeting hers.

"How dare you s-?"

"How dare I? How dare _you_?"

The voice of Professor Oak was loud and harsh, and Serena found herself unable to comprehend anything. He had never raised his voice like that – let alone yelling at someone so angrily. _Just what was going on?_ She could not help but wondered as she briefly looked at Gary again.

Gary quickly ran down the stairs and headed towards the room where the commotion was going on. But he stopped in front of the door and nearly crashed into Ash who was coming out from the other side. Ash attempted to recover and walk away but Gary immediately held him by shoulders.

"Not today Gary…" Serena heard Ash, his voice low but wavering.

"Come on, man…"

"…don't do it."

"Don't be-"

"Gary stop-"

"You don't have to-"

"I said stop it!" The raven-haired boy yelled. And never did Serena thought she would be startled by his voice – for the second time.

Ash brushed the hands off and walked away. And Gary could not even bring himself to follow Ash but stared at him – his eyes falling soft and filled with uncertainty.

Serena felt her mouth opening agape when she saw Ash moving towards her. His arm was rubbing his eyes and he was breathing solemnly. When she heard him hitching quietly, was it then she realized that the boy was wiping his tears off.

"Ash…" Serena attempted to call out for him, but could not afford to raise her voice. But as her hand moved to hold him, he brushed past her.

By the time Serena turned around he was already at the door. He exited the laboratory in a hurry and pulled the door behind him – but he never expected a loud, crashing sound behind him. When he turned around, he saw the door opening outside. The sound of metal dropping on the ground echoed into the silence.

For a brief moment, his eyes met hers. And it was then Serena noticed the tears welling up in his eyes for the first time. Ash turned around and began to walk down the stairs. And that was all she could see as the door closed again.

Serena felt herself clenching her skirt. A temptation arose inside her, and she followed it instinctively – rushing after him before he could go away.

"Ash, wait. Listen to me at least," Serena said. Her hand moved forward and she held the knob before pushing the door open. "Don't just…"

But her words were left unspoken. They vanished into the thin air as the door opened. Her eyes lowered as she stepped out – the door closing behind her as she let it go. The air swooped past her and she finally let it out.

"…disappear."

No one stood in front of her.

Serena stumbled as she moved. She stepped down a stair and sat down on the porch. She placed her arms on her thighs and her face in her hands – looking up intently at the moon.

A quiet, cracking sound echoed behind her as the door opened. Pikachu and Fennekin stepped out and walked to her. Serena looked down to her left when she felt a nudge against her. Fennekin looked up, her eyes glimmering in worry as she stared up at her trainer.

"I'm fine, Fennekin." Serena breathed, her eyes briefly closing as she shook her head.

Fennekin nudged Serena once again, but her trainer did not respond this time. She sniffed and snuggled next to her trainer.

Serena placed her hand on Fennekin's head before softly tracing it down her fur. She turned to her right and looked down. Pikachu was standing next to her on the other side. He wasn't even looking at her but rather down at the stairs.

"It's okay," Serena whispered and placed her hand on his head. She ran down her hand through his fur, and then his tail. The electric type shivered.

Pikachu looked up at her and she gave him a small, sad smile. His ears lowered and he sat down. Serena held him up and brought him to her lap. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close into a warm embrace – feeling a tickling sensation as his fur rubbed against her skin.

"Don't be so upset," she whispered against him, her voice gentle and small. "Ash will be alright. I promise, okay?"

Pikachu did not speak but looked up – staring intently at the moon. But even the cool wind and the serene sight did not heal him. If only he was watching the moon with Ash like he always does.

 _How happy would he be?_

 _Why did he have to go away?_

Pikachu sniffed and his ears perked up. He tilted his head and looked around, briefly staring at the corner of the laboratory. But before he could move further, follow the familiar scent, he felt Serena humming in his ear.

"It's okay."

He could not help but give up against the warm temptation.

Serena felt Pikachu relaxing against her touch. She let out a sigh, contemplating on her thoughts as she recalled the event. She still could not bring herself to believe how Ash treated Professor Oak not so long ago – and it ended with him tearing up.

 _What could they be even arguing over?_

Her trance broke when she heard the door opening behind her. She looked over her shoulder and saw Gary standing on the porch, his eyes observing the door as he moved it.

"You didn't have to break it," he whispered. Letting out a sigh, he looked up and at Serena. "Hey, Serena…" he called, now realizing he had her complete attention already. "…gramps was saying you should go home now." He brought out her bag from behind his back.

Serena sighed and nodded. She let Pikachu go, who hopped down to the ground and walked to Gary's side. As Serena took her bag from him, she realized, he wasn't even looking at her but away. His eyes had a solemn expression as he softly glanced at the ground.

She couldn't help but realize that he was, indeed, taking it bad. He was worried for Ash, more than she thought he would be.

"It's getting really late…" Gary suddenly broke her trance; his words wavered as he spoke. He breathed out before walking past her and down the stairs, without even looking at her. "…come on, I will drop you home."

Serena saw a key in his fingers as Gary stepped down the stairs. Initially, she felt tempted to refuse the offer, but realizing how late it was getting, she could not argue back. She turned to look down at Fennekin and quietly returned her to her Pokéball. She turned around and looked back at the door.

Pikachu was still looking at her.

She tried to smile, but the electric type walked inside the laboratory. With her lips curling down in a frown, Serena found herself walking down the stairs, and a little while later, sitting in the passenger seat of the roofless jeep.

As the jeep ran down the road of the Pallet Town under the blooming light of full-moon night, Serena found herself unable to think of anything but Ash – his words keep repeating in her mind.

Serena sighed, her head tilted towards the door and eyes lowered.

 _Just what were you talking about Ash?_

* * *

 **This chapter was finished for a while so I thought, why not upload it a few days earlier than the scheduled date? Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed it. To sum up everything I will be saying now - next chapter is going to be by far my most favorite and for several reasons.**

 **So, to see how attentive you guys are: _how many among you noticed the minor character that I've hidden here in this chapter, who will be a major character in the sequel?_ I can bet nobody noticed anyway.**

 **The next chapter might take some time. Expect it sometime around two weeks from now on, as scheduled. I will try to keep it that way. Oh and, please make sure you leave a review. I appreciate criticism - flaming, however, is not tolerable. Feel free to point out any mistake I made. I will fix it up - unless it is your misunderstanding.**

 **Keep supporting. I will see you next time!**

 **-Sam**


	15. Chapter 14

"I heard some teachers speaking that the trails will be next month."

"Next month?"

"Next month." Lara nodded in affirmative and took a bite of her lunch. "I can't wait for it. This time, I will definitely get that spot! I have been already training hard for it!"

"We have a whole month!" Dawn clasped her hands together. "I think I will get through it easily!"

The loud voices of the two girls barely echoed in the even louder cafeteria. The place was flooded with a lot of students seated on the benches, their lunches in front of them. Many among them had already satisfied their appetite and were casually conversing, and very few decided to leave.

Serena, however, barely spared them a glance. Her face was resting in her left hand and her right arm was placed on the table – her fingers tapping over it. Her eyes had a certain softness as she stared down, contemplating over her thoughts.

Her trance broke when she found herself shaking. She blinked and looked up at the source, and found a hand on her shoulder still shaking her.

"…are you even listening?"

Dawn's voice rang in her head rather loudly. When Serena blinked – looking at her – was it then Dawn let her go.

"Why are you dozing off now?" Lara asked.

Serena turned away, her eyes briefly glancing at Lara before she shook her head. "There is just…something on my mind. That's all…" Serena let out a sigh. She crossed her arms and looked up at Lara again. "So what were you saying?"

"We were talking about the trails next month…" Lara replied. "Dawn and I are totally going for it. Don't you want to do it?"

"Well, yeah… maybe. Sort of…" Serena shrugged her shoulders. When Lara raised her eyes, Serena could not help but sighed. "It's… It's not like I don't want to do it. I'm just not thinking about it right now. I…already have a lot in my mind."

"No kidding…" Lara muttered and took another bite of her lunch. "You haven't eaten anything this week."

Serena felt her eyes softening again. Her hands clasped together in her lap, but before she could bring herself up to respond, she was beaten by Dawn.

"You don't know anything…" the blue haired girl spoke, "…she is on a special diet."

"What?!"

Dawn could not help but giggled when both the girls exclaimed together.

"I never said I am on a diet!" Serena huffed, annoyance evident in her voice. "I'm just…I'm not feeling like eating something!"

"Of course," Dawn murmured, her lips still curved into a wicked smile. Serena looked rather freshened up, her previous expression already gone. But that expression faded soon and her gaze softened. The uncertainty replaced the annoyance, and once again it took over her face, and Serena was once again into her own thoughts.

"Hey. Psst." Dawn looked at Lara from the corner of her eye when she felt a tug on her hand. The blue haired girl leaned closer to Dawn. "…what's wrong with her?"

"Honestly…" Dawn murmured her voice fading into the air. Her eyes lowered down to her lap and her arms crossed on the table. "…even I don't know."

Over half of the week had passed. There was a certain flame ablaze in the school, and everybody seemed to like it. But it came with a cost. The amusement of the most had faded. Even though everything looked normal from the outside, something was missing from the inside.

The infamously famous duo was not seen together.

Serena hadn't seen Ash since then either.

She was thinking about him when Dawn had interrupted her. His words still rang in her head, and she found herself even more uncertain of everything now. Ash had been a mystery to her ever since she had moved to Kanto. Now, it had become even worse. She found herself unable to piece the puzzle together.

Serena sighed and straightened up. As her eyes wander around, she saw Gary at some distance, apparently, conversing with another student. He had an amused expression on his face he listened to the other boy, and let out a laugh in the end. He reached for a Pokeball and tossed it in his hand before moving it forward to the boy. The boy did the same, bumping one of his Pokeballs with Gary's.

Their talk ended and Gary moved on, walking away. But more the steps he took, more of his amusement faded. No sooner his eyes softened and he was staring down at his feet. His hand reached out for his hood and he moved it over his head, before placing his hands in the pocket and walking out of the place.

Serena had never realized it before, but Gary had always been better n hiding emotions than her. If she hadn't witnessed it back then, she would have never known what was bothering him. And the effect that had been left upon him, Serena could not help but realized – Gary cared for Ash a lot.

"Hey," Dawn nudged her arm at Serena; the honey haired girl once again found herself blinking. "Lunch will be over soon. Let's get out of here."

* * *

"So…" Dawn mused. Serena could not help but look at Dawn while leaning her back on the metallic surface. She could not help but realize that Dawn's voice was holding a deeper meaning. "…what's going on?"

"What are you talking about?" Serena asked her hands clasped behind her back as she stood.

"You and I both know what I'm talking about, Serena. You've been really off lately. What's wrong?" Dawn let out a sigh. She briefly looked at Serena who was still looking at her. "It's about Ash again, isn't it?"

"It's… It's not really like that." Her words were clean, but Serena grasped her hands tight behind her. Dawn had always been perceptive one. Her intuition wasn't that great, but she could make anyone speak. And now that she was her target, Serena found herself grasping her hands tightly, her expression remaining neutral. "It's not."

"Then what is it?"

"Even I have a life. And problems."

"Honestly?" Dawn raised her eyes but then shook her head. She turned back to her locker and proceeded to pick up different books. "Even if I don't pay attention, I can tell when something is wrong."

"Your intuition isn't that great," Serena argued.

"You have been acting this way this whole week. And Ash hasn't come to school since then either… And on the top of that, you are not even whining about the project either. How obvious are you going to make it?"

"I'm not making anything obvious."

"Of course not," Dawn huffed. "And here I thought we were friends."

"Dawn, please…"

"Look, I may don't like Ash, but that doesn't mean I'm not willing to listen to you." Dawn closed the locked and turned to Serena. "Whatever it is…you can tell me."

"It's nothing, really," Serena tried to argue back, her voice lowering with every word she spoke.

"Yep. It's nothing," Dawn muttered, her eyes narrowing as she spoke. Without sparing Serena another glance, she turned and began to walk away.

Serena clutched the strap of her bag and felt her mouth opening agape. But before she could even take a step after her, Dawn returned.

"Or better… You can talk to the one who knows him better than anyone."

Serena softened her glance when she realized what those words meant. She followed Dawn's glance and turned around. At another corner of the hallway, she saw Gary standing, closing his locker. He had a rather complex expression that she could not even read – but she spotted something in his hands.

Serena looked closely and realized that it was a Pokeball, or half of it. It was tied with a chain that – she assumed – was a part of a necklace. When Serena looked up at the boy again, he wore the small artifact around his neck, his eyes closing briefly.

Serena clutched the hem of her skirt, as she stood, her eyes lowering to her feet. A thought shrouded her mind.

 _Would it work?_

* * *

"Unown. Unown. Unown. Unown…" Gary flipped through the pages of a book while lying on the couch. His lips pursed together and glance softened as he continued. The mysterious ancient Pokemon never appeared to him. "…where in the hell are you now?"

With Professor Oak busy, his father and sister out of the town for a long time, Gary wasn't anticipating someone visiting them. But when the bell rang through the quiet laboratory, Gary felt his eyes narrowing. He sighed and sat up, and placed the book next to him. He took down his headphones, before standing up and walking to the door.

"I don't remember Dawn telling us to meet today…" he muttered as he walked.

He placed his hand on the knob and turned it around. With a clicking sound, the door opened and he pulled it in. However, the face that greeted wasn't the one he was expecting.

"Serena?" He could not help but stare at her, his mouth opening slightly. "Ash… H-He isn't here right now."

"I know," Serena replied. "I'm here to see you actually."

"Me?" Serena nodded. "Why me?" Gary leaned against the door.

Serena breathed in, and out, her lips slightly perusing together. "You know where Ash is, don't you?"

Gary stared at her. His hand, holding the door, clenched tightly, but he felt the grip loosening. Sweat was making it hard for him to keep the grip on.

"I'm sorry," Gary said. "I'm afraid I don't. I haven't been in contact with him ever since last week." When Serena breathed in and clenched her hands in a fist, Gary was certain she was disappointed. But the flame ablaze in her eyes did not dare die.

"But you do know where he is," Serena said. She saw his eyes narrowing, a soft but stern gaze taking over. "I have been noticing you. You can hide it from others, but I witnessed it. I was there."

"What are you implying?"

"You are only keeping your distance from him."

"Hmm?" Gary let the door go and crossed his arms over his chest, his hand slightly scratching his cheek. "And what made you think so? As far as I know, it is possible that you trusting your intuition blindly."

"When the only person who _can_ , and _do_ look after him, is acting like he isn't even concerned after he has been gone for nearly a week now without any trace – it is quite suspicious."

Gary kept his gaze up and looked directly in her eyes, but the honey haired girl refused to back down. His hand slipped from his cheek and down, and he let out a sigh, his lips curving into an amused smile.

"Observant, huh?" He muttered and scratched the back of his head. "But tell me…it was Dawn, wasn't it?"

"Sort of…" Serena shrugged her shoulders.

"Should have known," Gary muttered as he breathed out. His eyes closed briefly, but he looked up, leaning against the door slightly. "It's quite unfortunate, though. This time, even I don't know where he is. I know he is fine, but I haven't seen him either."

"Don't you have any idea where he might have gone?" Serena pestered her voice rising as she took step forward.

Gary could not help but notice – she was rather aggressive. However, he shook his head, his eyes lowering to his feet.

"But…" Serena found it hard to speak. Words refused to come out. She breathed in, holding her left arm in right hand. "…there has to be a way to find him."

"I don't know…" Gary muttered, looking up at her. He continued to stare at her, a silence brewing between them. But his eyes narrowed slightly as a thought came to him. "You barely have a few days." Serena looked at him, her eyes blinking at his words. "I'm not sure how you are going to do it…so why don't just you use these notes he has been making and use it for your presentation?"

"What?" Serena blinked. "But… That's not-"

"No, it's alright," Gary interrupted. "You have been going through a lot of trouble because of him. I tried to help, but… Well, it's the least I can do." Gary pushed the door behind him. "I will get them. Wait a moment."

Serena felt an urge to argue back, but in the end, she found herself unable to reason with him. She had never anticipated that everyone see her like that – chasing after Ash only for this very specific purpose.

 _And that's because he showed no interest himself?_

Serena felt her eyes softening as she stared down. _Am I selfish?_ She found questioning herself. She knew it couldn't be the reason, after all, the only reason she was looking for Ash was because she was curious – and now concerned as well.

 _He is my friend, too._

When Serena felt her hand brushing past her skirt, she remembered something and her eyes widened.

"Gary, wait!" she suddenly called. The brown haired boy turned around, staring at her. "I think I have a lead!" Serena said. Her hand quickly dug inside her skirt's pocket and she brought out a card that she had been keeping with herself for some time now.

Gary took the card and read the name over it. "What's this?"

"Ash dropped this that day in the café. He had it in his hand and I…I think he wanted to contact this guy."

"Spencer Hales. Spencer Hales…" Gary gritted his teeth and shut his eyes, repeating the words over and over again and slapping the card on his hand. "Where have I heard this name bef-" His eyes suddenly opened wide, and his hand stopped, as he stared at her. "Serena! You are genius!"

"You know him?" she could not help but ask.

"Just give me a minute! I will be back!"

Serena did not even get to comprehend those words and Gary disappeared from her sight. But that excitement did tell her, Gary grasped onto something that she could not. And it once again made her realize, Gary knew Ash better than anyone else does.

She could not help but envy him a little.

 _How did those two get so close?_

Gary did not take too long to come back; a familiar key wriggling in his fingers.

"Let's go," he said as he closed the door behind him. He quickly walked down the stairs and Serena followed after him. "Come on, get in," he added as he opened the door of the jeep.

Serena took the passenger seat. As she strapped the seat belt around her, Gary turned the ignition on. The engine revved and he quickly changed into the first gear.

"So who is this Spencer Hales?" Serena asked as the jeep ran down on the roads of Pallet Town.

"Spencer Hales… He-He is an archeologist. He used to be gramps student. The last time I heard he was researching Unown and is currently right here in Pallet Town. And considering that Ash has been obsessing over Unown for quite some time now, he is the first man he would want to visit. And he did say that day that he was seeing someone…"

"But how do you know Ash is there?"

"I don't …" Gary replied. "But we have to start from somewhere."

* * *

"Keep quiet," Gary hushed his arm raising up as he motioned at Serena. The honey haired girl stopped, her hand resting against a tree as she stood behind Gary. "One guy? A guard perhaps. A bag pack… an assistant maybe…"

Serena heard Gary whispering something to himself as he stared at some people in front of them. But she found herself uncertain – the words did not even make sense to her. She could not grasp on what was going through his head.

"…alright, come on!"

Gary's hand suddenly lowered as his whisper like voice stopped – a man standing in front of the a tent moved and walked away. Gary quickly moved out towards the clearing and Serena followed right after. She soon saw a man stepping inside a tent, his long hair going down his shoulders from behind. The tent remained insecure – albeit temporarily – and the two teens entered.

Serena had anticipated the place to be filled with several old artifacts. But with her mind completely distracted, she forgot. It didn't help that there were more than she had thought. The sight became marvelous to her.

"Spencer Hales…?"

The quiet voice broke her trance and Serena looked up. Gary had a rather complex expression on his face. He could be even anxious, she wondered, but she wouldn't ever know.

The older man turned around. His eyes rose as he looked at them.

"Do you have a moment? We want to talk about something related to your work."

Serena looked at Gary from the corner of her eye, holding herself back to not react to those words. The brown haired boy did not lie – _but he knows how to use his words._ Serena could not help but felt rather impressed.

"I…I don't remember having an appointment with anyone today," Spencer spoke.

"But it's important," Gary said. "It's…about a project we have been assigned from school. When we heard you are in town, we thought…we could talk to you about it." Spencer did not look convinced and Serena clenched her hands into a fist behind her back, her expression remaining the same. "A professor told us about you in the class and…and I was impressed how much you know about Unown."

"They are a rather complex being…but they are not impossible to understand." Spencer crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes softening. "And as far as we know about it they are…"

"…not from our world," Gary finished, earning a curious look from both Spencer and Serena. "It's believed that people who disappeared were brought to a different dimension. The evidence indicates that there were some rifts at the place where the people disappeared and…"

"…and they are quite relatable to the legendary Pokemon who lives in different dimensions." Spencer finished. His lips curved into an amused smile as he let his arms go. "You seem to have done your homework."

"Thanks but…" Gary scratched his cheek, a sheepish smile coming over his face. "…a friend of mine told me about it. He knows more than me, or so I think."

Serena could not help but let out a sigh. She still found it hard to believe how easily Gary managed to turn the atmosphere around.

"It's…It's quite remarkable that kids like you are showing interest in Unown. And as much as I would like to talk to you more about them…" Spencer once again turned around and let his fingers run on the screen of the tablet. "…I'm a very busy person. And I'm afraid you will have to leave now."

Serena looked at Gary, who looked back at her, his eyes showing the disappointment. He tried to voice his words, but found himself unable to do so when Spencer interrupted him.

"Please leave. Or I will have to call the se-"

"I'm grandson of Samuel Oak."

A silence fell among them. And as much confusing it was to her, Serena realized, Spencer had stopped working as well. The man turned around, his eyes staring at the young boy with disbelief.

"Gary…?"

"Please." Gary took a small step forward. "It's really very important."

* * *

"Did you find anything?"

Gary shook his head, breathing out softly. He placed his arm over the window panel next to him that was slightly coming out and his face rested in his hand. Only one of his hands was steering the jeep.

"What did he tell you?" Serena felt her gaze softening as she asked, her hands fiddling together in her lap.

"Ash did visit him last week," Gary replied. "He wanted to learn about that ancient language or something. He wouldn't stop pestering until Spencer agreed."

"And he agreed that easily?"

Gary hummed. The affirmation was rather surprising to her. However, she could not notice the change in air as Gary's gaze softened and his grip on the wheel loosened.

"Where he would now…?"

Gary looked up at Serena from the corner of his eyes; the honey haired girl was leaning on the door. The wind was causing her hair to sway back and he was surprised that her hat hadn't flown off by now.

"Should we go to his house?" Serena said, her eyes not averting.

"That…" A brief silence brewed between them. "…I doubt he would be there."

Serena looked up at him, her head tilting to a side. "What do you mean?"

"Just saying…"

"But we haven't tried it yet."

Gary did not speak afterwards as the silence fell between them. Gary could swear that he heard Serena muttering something under her breath but he could hardly catch her words. He felt too complex to let anything flow through him straight. The thought of visiting Ash's house was rather bizarre in itself. However, it was still the first place he would go. But he did not try. And now he felt disappointed in himself.

 _Why didn't I think of that…?_

"Gary, please," Serena said. "Take me to his home."

It all happened in the blink of an eye – Gary's hand moved back to the wheel as the other one let go, moving towards the gear shaft and pushing it up. His hands moved the wheel with aggression and the jeep turned around the next right corner at a quick pace. His foot pressed the clutch and his hand pulled the gear shaft down before he rammed the accelerator with his foot.

Serena took a moment to recover from the sudden jerk. And the next thing that she knew was that the jeep now running on a different path, faster than before.

Serena found herself contemplating on her thoughts. Gary initially did not respond to her demands and she found herself feeling nervous. Could she have hit the bull's eye? She didn't know. But when their ride made an unexpected turn, she mentally nodded in affirmative.

She indeed hit the mark.

The rest of their ride remained silent. Gary simply didn't speak and Serena found herself unable to. The possibility of finding Ash was distracting enough, but it left an apprehensive feeling dwelling inside her. Thinking more about him she found herself growing even more anxious.

Serena clutched her hand tight and placed it over her heart, and let out a shaky breath.

"What…" she murmured. "…is wrong with me?"

It hardly took them over some minutes. When Serena looked around, she found herself loosing herself into the sight. It was all too familiar to her. She remembered, she had been to this place before, albeit years ago. The memory still remained fresh and she found herself living into them.

But all the thoughts vanished, and the peace dissipated, when the jeep suddenly came to a halt.

"Here we are…"

Serena heard Gary mutter, and looked at him. The brown haired boy gave her a brief glance before turning away and looking at the other side. When Serena followed his gaze, she saw a house. But her eyes widened, nonetheless, and she felt something far greater than a startling surprise.

"This is…"

What stood in front of her, indeed, was a familiar sight. Though, it no longer was a house but ruins. The entire place not only looked abandoned, or spooky, but as if it was burnt down years ago.

"…Ash's house?"

Her mouth remained open and her eyes wide as she stared at the building in front of her – no logical reason could describe what she was seeing.

"But how…?"

"It's a long story…" Gary sighed. Serena looked at him, unconvinced and yearning for more. Gary caught her glimpse and shook his head. "Maybe next time," he added and started getting out of the jeep. The door closed and behind him, he heard Serena stepping out as well. The slow movements explained her surprise with no efforts at all. "Ten years is a long time after all…"

The two walked towards the house. Serena was walking behind Gary, her eyes still fixated over the top of the building. Her hands brushed past the mailbox – the rust trickling against her finger. The wooden fences which were keeping the – once a marvelous garden – in place, were all distorted. The flowerbeds were no more – but the ruined crisp of them.

Serena found herself unable to believe what she was seeing.

"But why…?"

Her question remained unanswered, and she did not bother ask again. She followed the brown haired boy and found herself standing outside the door. Her eyes rolled down at his hand as he held the knob of the door. But when he attempted to pull it open – the door was suddenly pushed inside.

A low creaking sound echoed the empty house and light entered the dark rooms – illuminating them. When Serena walked in, she felt an urge to not pinch herself. _It must be a dream!_ She yelled inside her mind, but the truth remained the same.

And the worst part was that someone still inhibited a place like this.

Serena felt her nerves rising, a shiver running down her spine when the sound of something crashing came from her side. She looked down and saw that she had dropped something. She bent down and picked it up – the photo frame barely surviving.

Gary gave Serena a curious look before deciding to go upstairs. The loud creaking voice echoed throughout the house, but the honey haired girl was too distracted to notice.

When Serena turned the frame around, her breath stopped. She hitched before taking a long breath in and held it right there. Her mouth opened slightly and her eyes softened. The frame, half dead, was still keeping that photo secure. It only took some small movements, the frame broke completely, and the photo came out of it. Serena dusted it off and glanced at it again – the smiling face of younger Ash somehow melted her heart.

"His parents…?" Serena wondered, realizing she had not seen them ever since she moved into Pallet Town, Kanto. Where they could have gone? But before she could voice those words, she was interrupted. She looked up and saw Gary coming down from the stairs.

"He was there…" The brown haired boy spoke and Serena felt her eyes widening.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Gary breathed in. "He might have been here… and left before we came here. But who knows?"

Serena stayed silent, words dissipating inside her head and she found herself unable to speak. And before she could comprehend what he had said, Gary interrupted her again.

"Come on," he muttered, walking out of the house. "I know where he is."

* * *

There were countless possibilities where Ash could have gone. But this wasn't the one she expected. And the moment Serena found herself standing in front of a cemetery, a grieved feeling dwelled inside her. Her eyes widened and wavered as she clutched her hand over her heart.

Serena closed her eyes, breathing in, before she walked inside. Her heart was beating fast and she could feel the sweat rolling down her forehead to the chin.

 _Who could it be?_

As she wondered, yet again, Serena realized that she did not know who Ash Ketchum really was. As Gary had said, ten years was a long time. Things changed – and she never even realized it. Ash even forgot her – she never knew why. But now that she thought about it again, piercing even the smallest clue together, things were starting to make sense – and she hated every ounce of it.

Walking in the green field, Serena finally observed the tombstones – the gray color felt more lifeless than even death could be.

Wind suddenly blew by and Serena felt her hair swaying along with it. Her one had held her hat in its place and another held her skirt down. But as she looked down, her arms loosened. The wind slowed down and Serena stared at a red cap lying in front of her. For a brief moment, wind blew again and the cap flew along with it before landing in front of her.

It was Ash's.

She knelt down and picked it up. The cap still felt warm from the inside. Clutching it in her hand, Serena looked up again, her eyes finally meeting his as his long hair swayed with the wind.

It was probably just a whim, but Ash felt like leaving. But the moment he turned around, his cap flew away. His eyes followed it – a soft but lifeless gaze – but he felt helpless to move. And when she picked it up, his eyes widened and mouth opened agape.

She was looking at him, too, her eyes showing the expression of relief as they stared at each other.

Serena walked, her hands clutching the cap tightly and eyes locked with his. _It's all okay… He looks fine_ – she tried to convince herself – _then why does it not feel right?_

The dark circles under his eyes become visible when she found herself nearing him. His eyes, albeit dry, looked red. His face was pale and hair was messier than she had ever seen before.

Serena stopped in front of him, opening her mouth to speak – but words dissolved into the thin air when her eyes looked past him. Behind him were two tombstones and Serena felt her eyes widening when she read the names written on them.

She looked back up at him, her hands wavering.

Ash averted his gaze and bit his lips inwardly. His breathing increased and wavered. She could see his eyes welling up.

"Ash, I…"

But her words remained unspoken when he moved. When he attempted to move past her, her hand reached out for him again. He tried, but this time she did not let him go. Stepping forward she leaned into him. Her hands stopped him and moved around him, wrapping around his neck.

Serena felt his body tensing against her. He breathed in, wavering like a child, as the sound of stifled cried finally reached her ears. Her hand moved and ran through his hair and she pressed further against him. She felt his arms around her, but he never held her back. His hot breath touched her ear and despite him holding back, she heard him crying, over and over again.

He finally gave in to the temptation and broke down – his tears and cries muffled against her shoulder.

"Ash…" she attempted to comfort him, but her own voice was weak, muffling against his shoulder.

She had always wondered – what has happened to him? But now reading the two familiar names on the tombstones in front of her, she wondered – why it happened to him?

"…I'm so sorry."

Her own voice finally broke down, her eyes closing as she tried not to give up as well.

* * *

"I wonder for how long he didn't sleep."

Gary chuckled at his own words but the dry humor did not ease up the air. Serena stayed silent. Her eyes – looking down – refused to blink as the unusual blank expression stayed over her face. When the jeep bumped over a stone, was it then her trance broke.

Serena looked ahead and saw Ash on the passenger seat. A seatbelt was all keeping him steady as he slept. His breathing was still wavering and his cheeks were stained – his head leaned towards the left.

"When did it happen…?" Serena spoke suddenly, her voice still low.

"To be honest…I don't really know either," Gary replied his eyes in front and both the hands on the wheel. "They were never really home, so Ash stayed with Gramps mostly. A few years later, when I moved in, he was already living in the lab. But then one day…" His grip tightened around the wheel and he breathed in. Her never continued after that.

Serena could only imagine how it would have felt – living alone without your parents for a long time only to learn that they weren't even alive anymore. How Ash could have gone through it all alone?

She once again looked at him.

 _Why did you have to go through it all alone?_

Serena leaned forward. Her arms crossed on the top of the leather seat and she placed her chin over it. As she leaned towards left, her face was nearly touching his.

"Hey, Serena… I uh, I wanted to thank you."

When Gary spoke, she turned into the other direction and looked at him. "What for?"

"For helping me out…" Gary smiled a little. "He is quite troublesome. So now that there is someone willing to look after him, I'm grateful to you, I think."

"It's nothing." Serena sighed, her voice never rising above a whisper. Gary could only look at her from the corner of his eye. She was attempting to act strong, but he knew it, she was truly shaken and on the verge of breaking down. The news left even more drastic effect on her than he had anticipated.

"Can I ask you a favor?" he said. When Serena hummed in response, he continued. "Please continue to look after him…"

The words grabbed her attention and she looked back at him, her mouth opening slightly as she tried to speak something.

"…I know he is an idiot, and very stubborn. He might as well be very troublesome to handle – but he is very insecure. And right now, all he needs is someone to look after him. I… I just don't want him to do something stupid."

Serena sighed and sat straight again. But as she continued to ponder over those words, her gaze started softening. Her hands clasped together in her lap and let out yet another sigh. She leaned to her left, resting against the back on the seat Ash was sitting on. Her head rested against Ash's and she felt her eyes closing.

"Serena… Please," Gary said, his eyes still fixated on the road ahead. "Whatever you do… just never let him go."

* * *

 **Basically, this chapter wasn't even edited, that is, it was the first draft but hopefully, it wasn't repulsive. I could have waited a few days, but who knows, I might have taken longer. Now regarding the chapter, you might have noticed, this is distributed into many small sections. This is not really my style, but just happened and I was too busy to fix it.**

 **Regardless of that, I hope you enjoyed it. With the truth of Ash's parents now out, what do you think would Serena's next step? This is something important to the story after all. So, what do you think?**

 **Please leave a review regarding this chapter. I accept criticism so please, feel free to leave one in case you noticed something.**

 **I will see you guys next time!**

 **-Sam.**


	16. Chapter 15

When he opened his eyes, an abyss was the last place he expected to find himself in.

Standing in a hall, surrounded by tall pillars, Ash looked around. As far as his eyes could see, the shallowness has surrounded him. He continued to stare into the dark abyss, only to realize it was now staring back at him. He shivered, his nerves wrecking him, but couldn't bring himself to move.

"Hey!" he yelled out. His voice rung around him, coming back at him from every corner of the hall. He bit down on his lips and breathed in. "Is anyone here?"

There was merely any response, but his voice coming back at him. His ears perked up when he heard the sound of rubbles behind him. He turned around but found nothing. He heard the same sound again and followed it, only to look around in a circle.

Disappointment began swallowing him. Anxiety began eating him. The sound of the rubble had long stopped but his desperation stayed. He felt dizzy, his head hurting him. He stopped, panting, and placed his hands on his knees.

"Ash..."

He hitched when the voice called him, his eyes widening and wavering. Hesitantly, he looked up. He could see a pair of familiar shoes at some distance in front of him. A man was there. His face remained hidden but yet Ash could tell who he was.

"D-Dad...?"

His voice wavered and he took a step forward, his hand reaching out for the man. But the man began moving away, fading into the distance. Ash felt his eyes widening, his mouth opening agape. The feeling of loneliness that had dissipated momentarily returned and he dared not face it.

"S-Stop..." He hesitated, hoping that the man would listen to him. "Dad...dad stop..." His feet began moving forward but as the image began fading further, he broke into running.

"Dad! Dad, come back! Please!" he cried desperately, running after the man but he never listened. "Don't leave me alone, dad!"

The world around him began dissipating, darkness swallowing the abyss into nothingness, but Ash didn't notice. He didn't care. He kept running after the man as he moved away from him, crying desperately to not leave him again. He didn't realize when his eyes began welling up, not realizing that how helpless he was. Hope has faded away into nothing more than a distant memory at that moment.

"Come back, please! I need you, dad!" he cried with a groggy voice, feeling the lump in his throat growing. "I don't want to be alone anymore!"

Perhaps he never realized he was never meant to have what he desired the most, or what he desired at all. The moment he thought he could have him back again, his hand reaching out to him, was the moment his dream shattered and he fell into the nothingness.

His eyes widened as he looked up hazily, his eyes welling up more. His hand wavered, that once attempted to hold onto his father. His mouth stayed agape and he breathed out heavily.

He no longer remembered falling even as the feeling of weightlessness welled up in his core. But the moment he realized he could never truly have him again, was the moment his body finally sunk in.

It was a strange feeling. Nor that he couldn't breathe, he just didn't feel like breathing, as if he wanted to let go of his consciousness on his own. He didn't even struggle but kept staring intently through the layers of water, drowning in the sea of isolation.

 _Is there any hope?_

He chided himself for it, beating himself for it over and over again. But it never changed anything. He would often ask himself just what it was he did wrong. What did he do to deserve this? He never knew why but learned over time that he needed to live with it for the rest of his life, in despair. He felt as if even hope was a blasphemy to him, yet he wished somehow everything would be alright.

And so he hoped again, and again, and again...

 _Is there any hope left for me...?_

But he never expected a response. "Yes."

His gaze softened at her voice and he felt a pair of arms wrapping around him from behind. He felt her body pressing against his, her lips brushing against his ear. He shivered when she breathed out but didn't bother to fight back.

"Come with me..." she spoke in his ear, her soft voice ringing in his head. He heard a soft giggle next to his ear, her hand trailing over his shoulders and his back as she moved around him.

He didn't see her. He couldn't see her. But he once again felt her around him, as she pressed herself against him from the front, her arms wrapping around him again. Her hair moved over his face and he felt a sense of exhilaration building inside him. He felt himself warming up, as she embraced him tightly.

For a moment, he thought he could choke on the water as if he was brought back to life. He felt a lump in his throat welling up as she finally moved away. He couldn't help but breathed in when her hands moved over his cheeks, a radiant smile on her face.

"Come with me..."

Her voice seemed to bring back life to him. He felt himself heating up more and more, reaching out to her as if he didn't want her to let go. His eyes widened when she began moving away.

"Wait..."

His eyes fluttered, urging to give up. The hand that caressed his face, trailed down his arm. He attempted to hold that hand, but it slipped from his grasp. He tried to move after her but realized too late how much he needed to breathe. He could barely look at her anymore but attempted to voice his words out one last time.

"...c-come bac—"

* * *

He gasped for air when his eyes opened, his chest heaving out heavily. He rushed himself up into a sitting position, his hands clenching on the sheet that was lying over him. Sweat dribbled down from his forehead to his chin, and it wasn't until a gush of air blew on his face that he realized where he was.

Ash looked around and found himself in his room-his room in the Professor Oak's laboratory. It had been his room for years now but it never put him at ease. He looked down and saw a blanket covering him, that he was still gripping tightly. When his heart eased up, was it when he finally let it go.

"Wha...what happened?" he murmured to himself.

A gush of cool wind hit his face again and he looked up at the open window. The night had already fallen.

"How long I've been sleeping?" Ash couldn't help but ask himself. He moved and tried to step out of the bed, and was it then a cloth suddenly fell in his lap.

Ash looked at the piece of cloth and picked it up. It was a white handkerchief with a blue strip and a Pokéball on it. He continued to glance at it for another moment, feeling the wetness oozing up his hand.

"Isn't it...?"

It took him a moment to realize whom it belonged to, but as soon as he did, everything came back rushing in his mind. He was tired and barely able to move, and yet he visited his parents. He thought at least that would put him at ease with all the pain inside him—but he never expected her to show up in front of him.

He couldn't help but realize how she had looked at him. She was beyond shock, perhaps in pain, too. He never realized if she even reacted after that because all he remembered was her interjection before she finally pulled him into a hug.

And she never let go after that.

Ash was about to throw the handkerchief away but then had a second thought about it, his gaze softening as he continued to glance at the cloth.

"Blondie..." he whispered out and sighed before placing the wet cloth back on his head, just the way it was supposed to be. He moved the blanket away and stepped out of the bed.

"What were you even doing here at the first place?" he wondered.

Ash noticed his jacket lying on a chair near his bed. He picked it up and threw it over his shoulders before walking out of the room.

In contrast to his dark room, everything was lit outside. It stung his eyes and he stopped, feeling an ache in his head. He pressed his hand over the wet cloth that was on his head.

"Boy it hurts..." he murmured to himself as he continued to walk.

When Ash exited the hallway, he stared down at the lower level of the room. He saw Professor Oak on his desk doing what he could assume was some sort of paperwork—was it school related, or research related, he could never tell.

Ash winced again and gritted his teeth, pressing the cloth on his head further. His head was hurting more and more now, and he didn't know why. It wasn't the most bizarre thing happening to him, but it did hurt him the most at that moment.

"So you woke up, huh?" His trance broke suddenly when Gary's voice called him. He turned to his left and saw Gary climbing up the stairs. "And right in time when I'm about to sleep," Gary added, letting out a yawn as he finally approached Ash.

"What's the time?" Ash questioned the brunette.

"Nearly ten," Gary replied and let out another yawn. "Boy I'm tired now..."

"Doing Daisy's chores?" Ash tried to laugh but ended up biting his tongue when a nerve wrecking jolt of pain rushed through his head.

"Hey..." Gary glanced at Ash carefully for a moment before placing his arm around his neck, speaking in a low, whisper-like voice. "Can you do me a favour? Feed those Pokémon for me..."

Before Ash could respond Gary patted his hand on his back and walked in the same hallway Ash had come from.

"See ya' tomorrow Ashy-boy!"

His voice echoed behind him before he finally disappeared into his room, shutting the door behind.

"As if I want to do that..." Ash muttered to himself before he finally turned around. He walked down the stairs and to the lower level. He glanced around, even at the professor before letting out a sigh. He was focused on his work, but Ash knew he was aware of his presence.

"P—" He squeaked out a sound but then stopped. His heart ached when he tried to speak again, realizing what the uncertain look that the professor carried mean. He was certain he felt guilt-ridden at that moment; he had troubled the old man for a week after all.

 _The least I can do is apologize..._

"Professor...I'm—"

When Professor Oak looked up, Ash felt like his courage has betrayed him. He repeated the previous thought in his mind again, but it didn't help. He felt his hand clenching tight in a fist, feeling the sweat building up in his palm. His other hand finally let go of the wet cloth on his head, his finger scratching his cheek as he wearily looked away.

"...I'm sorry."

In the end, that was all he could let out. He felt courageless and ashamed. A brief silence fell between the two. To Ash, it was scary. He wouldn't dare insult professor any day, but that night-

"It's okay."

Ash looked up at the professor, dumbfounded. Any rational thought escaped his mind and he couldn't help but wonder if he even heard that right. He knew he had to make sure he was not listening things but couldn't bring himself to respond back.

Professor Oak placed the pen down and looked at Ash, his hands clasping together.

"I know I'm at the fault, too. I shouldn't have said that." He tried to smile, but there was no amusement in it. "Ash, I know it's hard. I didn't mean to be insensitive, and neither do I right now, but you need to know this. They just want to help...the least you can do is let them help."

Ash smirked to himself as if he was amused, but his uncertain expression said otherwise. "Help, huh," he murmured slowly and sighed.

His eyes briefly glanced at the professor as he looked around and at the entrance of the backyard. The door was wide open and he could feel the cool air hitting his face. A shiver ran down his spine and breathed out heavily.

"Where's Pikachu?" he asked. When no response came, he looked back at Professor Oak. His expression gave all the answers and Ash turned around to look up. Atop a shelf, there was the electric type snoring peacefully. Ash couldn't help but sigh at the sight. "...again?"

"He wouldn't leave your side after you returned, but when we made him..."

* * *

The sudden change in her daughter had entierly startled Grace.

Ever since Serena returned, she didn't speak a word. Instead of going to her room, she decided to stay downstairs. With her leg curled up, her hands holding a pen and a pad, Grace was convinced her daughter was lost in her own world, thinking about the project that had been eating her since weeks now.

But the closer she observed, she realized how wrong she was. She had barely moved from her place and even the pad was blank. Her eyes had lost all the glimmer as she stared forward at it.

When Grace brought tea for Serena, hoping to convince her to take a break and rest a little, she didn't even budge.

"Serena..." Grace called for another time. The silence convinced her that she wasn't in a delusion.

Something did happen while she was gone.

After another brief silence, Grace finally reached out to her daughter. She placed the cup of tea in Serena's hands and looked up, but she didn't expect to see tears flailing down her cheeks silently.

All of her rationality dissipated at the moment. Her hands wavered and the cup fell from her grasp. shattering on the floor and ringing in the silence.

"Serena! What happened, Serena?" Grace began shaking the honey-haired girl, worry overtaking her. "Serena! _Serena!"_

Serena reacted suddenly, hitching and breathing in shakily. Her chest heaved in and out, and her eyes closed for a moment as she heard her mother's desperate cries.

"...what happened, Serena?"

"I...I saw them..." Serena breathed in, feeling the lump in her throat growing. The pen and the pad finally slipped from her grasp and fell beside her as she pulled her knees closer to her chest, wrapping her arms around them.

"What did you see?" Grace asked in a soft voice, her hand now caressing her daughter's tear-stained face. She tried but feeling the sorrow in her voice, Grace was unable to hold back her own desperation.

"A-Ash...his parents..." Serena hitched, feeling her chest tightening. Her heart ached and she bit down on her lips, but tears welled up in her eyes again. Her silence cry turned into a soft sobbing as she buried her face in her knees. "...why did this happen to him?"

* * *

 **There's a short announcement I'd like to make. But before that I would like to say this, this story won't be discontinued so please don't stress over it when I don't update on time, I've things going on in my life here as well. Which brings me to the main point, while I somehow managed to update this chapter today, I won't be lucky enough to give you next chapter anytime before the end of March. While the next few chapters are prewritten, not only I need to change some things, I'm also very busy for the rest of February and March and won't be able to work on it. But I do promise an update in Apri. Please be patient with me. Thanks for understanding.**


	17. Chapter 16

"For the record, you're on time today."

Gary's remark didn't exactly appease Ash but he didn't bother to counter back today. Instead, he took his seat next to the brown-haired boy. When he felt a nudge on his shoulder he turned towards Gary, who leaned towards him with interest.

"So what's the occasion?"

"Shut up already," Ash murmured in response, leaning back. "I don't wanna talk right now."

"What happened?" Gary chuckled, watching as Ash pulled the rim of his cap over his eyes.

For a brief moment, the thought of bothering Ash lingered in his mind. It has always been fun after all, but before he could even move, he heard the students ahead of them talking about the event that would begin shortly. Gary realised that he had nearly forgotten about the presentation for a moment. His eyes lingered at those students before he finally looked back at Ash and right when a deadpanned expression took over his face.

Ash breathed in heavily, biting down on his lower lip. His arms crossed over his chest and it was at that moment Gary realised what was bothering his raven-haired friend.

"You screwed up, eh?" Gary spoke dryly.

Ash tensed up at those words, staring blankly at his lap. As much as he hated to admit it, Gary was right. He had screwed up. He made a promise and even then he screwed up. Odds were never in their favour and yet she had at least tried. The more he thought about it, that he had let her down, it made him feel more and more sour. It reminded him why he never wanted to work with her, to begin with.

Intently, Ash looked up, his eyes wandering around the room. He noticed her sitting not too far away from him.

Serena had immersed herself in a book, not even glancing up when someone tried to speak to her. Her arms were crossed over the table and the bangs of her hair were swaying down, but it wasn't until he observed her closely that he realised she wasn't even looking at the book but was thinking deeply.

Strangely, it hurt him to see her like that. He did not wish to be a bother to her, let alone anyone. So he always tried to stay away from everyone, knowing what he could do and cause. Gary was an exceptional case; his grandfather was the one who practically raised both of them together.

But Serena, on the other hand, was different.

It wasn't her fault that they used to be friends once. After she moved away, how could she have ever known what would happen behind her back? She was persistence and very annoying, but he came to realise that he appreciated her concern. Even after everything, she considered him a friend.

And he repaid her by letting her down when she needed his assistance. Thinking about how this presentation event would be a slap on their faces, Ash once again realised that indeed, he had screwed up.

"You don't have to remind me."

It wasn't too long when Professor Juniper entered the room. Noises died down and the professor began addressing the class. Ash barely paid it any heed. He was lost in his own world, immersed deeply in thoughts.

Ash never noticed when the time passed by and when the event started. Students were slowly being called and presentations were given. For all he knew, he did not even hear a single one of them and it wasn't until Gary nudged on his shoulder that his trance was finally broken.

"You think that the history they're teaching us is a lie?" Gary said in a voice not above than a whisper.

Ash stared at him, his eyes blinking. He took another moment to process what he had just heard before finally raising his eyes at the brunette.

"What are you talking about?" he asked back.

"I found something interesting during our research," Gary replied. "Here, you see, the evidence of the fire at the bell tower, the resurrection of the three legendary beasts, they do not really tell why exactly Ho-Oh had disappeared in the first place. Rumours are there's something beneath the tower...of course it's not something we would mention during our presentation but—"

"Gary..." The voice of Professor Juniper rang in the room, prompting the brunette to look at her. Several students turn around and looked up at the two teens. "...I'm certain it's really interesting what you are talking about, but try saving it for your presentation? All of us would like to listen to you as well."

"Y-Yes ma'am." Gary sheepishly rubbed the back of his head as responded, several students laughing at him. The tranquil smile on the professor's face never left.

Ash briefly looked at the professor before he turned to Gary and finally moved slightly away from the brunette.

* * *

"Are you implying that there is more to the mystery, or do you perhaps lack information?"

"Is this question even relevant, or are you perhaps trying to make a fool out of yourself?"

Professor Juniper's witty response to Gary's remark was a decent blow on his pride when students began chuckling. He knew he could have stayed quiet; he was still unaware when did this mystery become the point of argument when the students ahead were giving a presentation on the history of Kanto—but he was Gary Oak, in the end.

"Fair enough," Gary murmured sheepishly and stared down. He heard Ash whispering something under his breath and when he looked up, Ash was still laughing. Gary glared at him. "Yeah, well, not funny."

"Thank you both of you," Professor Juniper began, "Your presentation was definitely above average but you should pay more attention to the details. While I don't prefer his approach, Gary did pick some relevant points that remained untouched—"

"See?!" Gary whispered, nearly yelling at Ash who once again found himself grinning like an idiot. "I told you!"

"Whatever." Ash chuckled slightly. He took another moment to break out from his trance, his attention back on the event. For a brief moment, his eyes lingered on Serena. There was an uncertain expression on her face; he couldn't read her or look inside her mind.

Ash murmured something under his breath as if cursing himself. He could have been because the burden of guilt felt heavier every passing moment. They weren't called yet and it scared him even more. He did not know how they would handle it, how _he_ would handle it.

His trance broke suddenly when he heard his name being called and for a split second, he thought his heart stopped beating. He held his breath and his hands clenched together. He glanced at his lap, unable to even look up—how could he?

The guilt finally dawned on him entirely and it hurt. It hurt so much that the stinging pain of biting his bottom lip completely dissipated. He felt the blood slithering down his lip but he ignored it.

Gary poked Ash on the shoulder but the raven-haired boy ignored. Gary poked him again but Ash he refused to even move. It wasn't until Gary began shaking him that he heard him whispering as well.

"Look up, dude..."

"Ash wouldn't be joining you?"

Ash felt apprehensive at those words. Reluctantly, he looked up and saw Serena standing in front of everyone; Professor Juniper was eyeing her curiously. But what surprised him the most were the notes in her hands.

 _But how...?_

"I wouldn't want him to mess up," Serena spoke sternly and the class chuckled at her remark.

Ash thought her tone was bitter but was left uncertain—it sounded different somehow. He tried to respond back but found himself fumbling for right words. Some expected Ash to say something but were surprised by his expression that remained unfazed. He couldn't shake off the surprise either.

Professor Juniper looked up at Ash, the curiosity in her eyes never fading. It wasn't until Ash noticed her gaze that he averted his eyes away from everyone. He refused to give any kind of response.

"Shall I begin?" Serena suddenly spoke and Professor Juniper turned towards her, startled. She stammered a little but obliged in response.

"Y-Yes...please."

Serena breathed in, her hands holding the notes gently, her eyes closing. She collected all the thoughts in her mind and as she exhaled, she let them out altogether. She thought in her mind, _I can do this_ , completely unaware as Ash stared at her intently. She opened her eyes and looked at her audience; not everyone seemed interested. Then again, she did not expect anything more from them.

"It's been great, hasn't it?" she began, heaving the breath out lightly and observed all eyes dropping on her. "I have been blown away by everything. In fact, I'm done here...I'm leaving."

Silence swam in the hall. Everyone, caught up with surprise, stared at her with bewilderment. Professor Juniper felt her mouth falling agape. She couldn't find the proper words to speak. But, in the end, she didn't need any as Serena continued.

"That's something the famous archaeologist Spencer Hale once said."

It took them a brief moment to catch up with her, to understand the meaning of those words. When everyone started laughing, Ash was still trying to comprehend what was happening. He felt Gary nudging his arm slightly.

"She definitely caught me by surprise..." Gary laughed. Ash glanced at him for a moment before turning back to her.

"One wouldn't expect this from him, but this is true. So let me ask you something, do anyone among you know why he said that?"

"Maybe he was tired of listening to the constant blabbering?" A student remarked but was caught by surprise when Serena affirmed.

"That's correct!" Her voice sounded joyous. "He was, in fact, annoyed beyond his imagination when his colleagues, or should I say former colleagues, decided to address things their own way when none of them truly understood anything about his latest and one of the most famous discovery.

"When Spencer accidentally discovered strange markings on ancient tablets, his discovery was regarded as nothing more than mere texts from the ancient world. When people attempted to suppress his voice, Spencer left everything behind and with the help of his then assistant, Mrs Hales, devoted his life to research more and more about those strange texts. Who would have thought that his stubbornness will bring those texts to life?"

The giant screen behind her lit up with several images of ancient tablets with strangely written texts. Using the tablet that the professor provided her, Serena selected an image and zoomed in. The markings became clearer.

"Unown, a group of mythical Pokemon were discovered by Spencer Hale. Originally they were believed to be abugida, then texts from ancient times, but all the claims were disregarded when all the letters came to life. Spencer Hale was awarded for his discovery but even today he has been researching them at his best—he was in Pallet Town for the same reason last week.

"Although he has long moved to the origin of Unown, in the wake of his research he left the proof of Unown's presence and their influence in our history. Several ruins throughout the world have been found with messages engraved on the walls with corrupted letters—the Unown themselves but it wasn't until recently that we discovered that these texts are encrypted with several messages related to some ancient rituals that we are still unaware of.

"I believe that it's due to the ignorance of people that these are left unnoticed. After Ash collected some of these," Serena pointed at the image behind her. "we spent quite some time decrypting them and learned that Unown played a large role in many myths and legends known throughout the world, even including the Guardian of the Sea and disappearance of Ho-Oh."

Gary leaned towards Ash; his arms crossed together and eyes remained at Serena. "Is she lying?"

"What?" Ash glanced at Gary, blinking.

"You know..." Gary shrugged his shoulders. "...working together part."

Ash sighed and leaned back. "Not really."

"Mhm." Gary glanced at Ash, chuckling slightly. "So that's what you two were up to all this time? And here I thought you two weren't working at all."

With his hand intertwined, his fingers stopped fiddling when he heard Gary. Ash looked up at him, uncertain of his feelings. "You did this."

"What?"

"You helped her with the presentation."

"No..." Gary murmured. "...I'm not that free you know? I was struggling with my own presentation, too."

"Those are my notes," Ash argued but then bit his lips, feeling the stinging pain when he accidentally bit over exactly where the blood was slithering from. He nearly cried.

"I don't know what you're talking about..." Gary glanced back at Serena, fixating his attention to her presentation again, his lips curving into a small smile.

"...they are usually believed to be scattered randomly but by nature, they are arranged in a specific order almost everytime." Serena paused briefly and turned to the screen behind her. A new image appeared and she zoomed in; there was a message engraved on the tablet.

"This is from Spencer's reports. They appear random and out of order, but here, as you can see that together they form meaningful phrases. This one here reads: _Our friends look up and heavily congratulates us._ As of now, researchers don't know what this is supposed to mean but Spencer came to the conclusion that Unown might be a smart creature, contrast to the popular belief of them being mindless beings.

"He claimed that in past, Unown used to live together with the relative of humans. If true, this once again supports our theory of their prominent role in our history. However, understanding them is still not completely possible and a detailed examination of ruins might be required for that. This, once again, is not possible because the researchers who tried to go deeper in the ruins have never returned—"

"I have heard of that," a student suddenly interjected. "It's been a while but I remember reading about them in an article. Not even a trace was found of those who disappeared."

"Mhm..." Another student agreed. "...do you have any explanation for that?"

"I was coming to that part," Serena said "Unown are believed to be from another dimension. Alone they don't seem to pose any threat, as you can notice a few Unown photobombing the researchers harmlessly...but when together they possess an excessive strength that even a Pokémon might not be able to fend off. They seem to harbour strong emotions as well and can act upon them. When upset, they do harm others and usually take them away somewhere—"

"Isn't that just an urban legend though?"

Once again she was interjected but felt uneasiness welling inside her when she noticed who had interrupted her. The sight of the blue-haired boy did not really appease her.

Serena breathed in, telling herself to stay calm before she responded. "It is not..."

"How can we believe it?" Damien crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back. "It's not like you have any definite proof, do you?"

"I..." Serena did not expect that at all, to prove something she hasn't witnessed herself. Even though she remembered Spencer explaining it to them that day, to her it was mostly a theory. But he did tell her—

"There are several rifts observed at the sites of the incident. They are found to be identical to those of space-time rifts." She might be uncertain, she never saw it before, but she knew it was true though.

"Have you ever seen it?"

Serena felt her chest tightening. She glanced at the professor from the corner of her eye; Professor Juniper did not look pleased with his behaviour either. She glanced at others who seemed somewhat interested but were mostly annoyed as well.

"It's not like we can believe any bulls—anything you will say." Damien cocked his head in a certain direction as he spoke and yet again, Serena found herself unable to respond back. For a split second, she wondered why he was even doing that— _he doesn't seem interested_ —but then she noticed his gaze and then it clicked.

Ash had his eyes scrunched down in annoyance as he glanced at Damien from the corner of his eye, unaware as Serena glanced at him. It was Ash, of course, he was the reason.

"You do realise that it's unauthorised to visit those places, hm?" Gary interjected suddenly.

The blue-haired boy glanced at Gary, his eyes narrowing down. He averted his gaze and clicked his tongue. "Petty little excuse."

"Mind your language, Damien," Professor Juniper spoke suddenly, her voice calm but bitterness evident. "That kind of behaviour can get you in trouble."

"Whatever," Damien muttered. He shuffled in his seat and leaned forward, crossing his arms on the table. "Alright then. Let's say I believe her for a moment, I can't really argue with Spencer Hale now, can I? But that still doesn't explain most of...well, everything? Strange rituals? Unown playing a prominent role in our history? Oh please...that sounds pretty lame and unknown to me."

"I did explain the meaning of those texts..." Serena said, but her voice wavered in the end. She felt herself growing even more anxious as he stared at her.

"A language that none of us understands?" Damien countered.

"For your information, she knows more than one." Another voice interjected. Damien scrunched his eyes again, feeling the smirk fading from his face. He turned around and looked at the raven-haired boy, who was looking directly at him.

"Uh-huh," Damien murmured. "So you really want me to believe all this stupid stuff you pulled out from the internet?"

"It's confidential...pretty much," Ash retorted. "But, of course, I don't expect any less from you."

"Then where did you find it?" Damien asked. "Space-time rift. Strange rituals? You can't be believed, Ketchum."

"Ask the one who made the discovery."

"Spencer Hale?" Damien clicked his tongue. "And here I thought it was confidential..."

"It is..." Ash affirmed, his voice growing heavy. Gary stared at him, growing worried. "...but I met him."

"You met him? And he told you all of this?"

"He did..."

"And why would I believe you?"

Ash clenched his hands tightly. He gritted his teeth as a heating sensation rushed through his veins, and stared down at his lap. _Just stay calm..._ he reminded himself. _Just stay calm. He's just trying to get on your nerve._

And indeed he was, not giving up on any chance he got.

"Like I said...petty little excuses. That's all I expected from you, Ketchum. Confidential information and then even meeting Spencer Hale? Pfft..." Damien chuckled and turned back to Serena. "And that's why I told you to work with me. Look where he dragged you no—"

"He is a family friend, Damien," Ash spoke through gritted teeth. His hands turned red as he continued to hold them tight, feeling them burning with pain. His lips quivered and he breathed heavily, feeling his eyes growing dry and burning. When the abrupt pain returned, he knew he was on the verge.

Damien chuckled and at that moment, Gary grew weary of the situation. He glanced at Ash but realised too late that he was already burning with anger.

"Family friend?" Damien smirked. " What family? Do you even have a family?"

"Damien—" Professor Juniper growled but was cut off by the sudden outburst that wrecked the entire room.

 _"Just come here you bastard—"_ Ash roared with frenzy rage. He slammed his hands on the table as he moved towards the blue-haired boy, but Gray quickly grabbed him from behind. _"I dare you I'm gonna kill you! I'm gonna kill you—you—let me go, dammit!"_

"Hold him!" Gary yelled as he struggled. The others hesitated at first but upon realising the situation, moved in to hold the raven-haired boy who was kicking wildly in an attempt to break free.

"Stop it, Ash!" Professor Juniper yelled, her eyes showing more concern than anger. She knew the sensitivity of this topic, everyone did but that Damien still dared. It disgusted her beyond her belief. She clenched her hands tightly as she glared up at him.

"No words, Damien. Just get out." Damien seemed to be taken aback. He opened his mouth to retort but Professor Juniper cut him short. "Get out of the room, Damien!"

Madness was erupting from Ash as Damien glared at him, growling under his breath. "Whatever," he muttered as he began walking out of the room.

"Principal office," Professor Juniper said as Damien walked past her. "And you better be there when I get there."

* * *

"But gramps you know this is not fair..." Gary tried to argue, but his voice wavered and, in the end, he averted his gaze from his grandfather. "It's just...I just don't know what to do. You know what happened last week."

"I understand, Gary." Professor Oak sighed. "And that's why I want you to keep an eye on him. Just leave the other one to me, alright?" Gary looked up at the professor who smiled softly at him. "Speaking of him, where is Ash?"

"Outside..."

"Well then...go try to cool him down. It's lunch break next, right?"

"Mhm..." Gary murmured. "...that's the least I can do, eh? Now I'm a guardian at such age, it's almost hilarious." He chuckled before turning around and began to walk away. He nearly pulled the door open when the professor called him again.

"Gary..."

The brunette hummed and stopped as he turned around. "What is it...?"

"...don't you seem to care a lot?"

Gary felt his grip weakening at those words, his chest aching. When he looked at his grandfather, he smiled faintly in response. "Nothing you should worry about though...right?" He chuckled dryly as he spoke before finally exiting the office. It was when he was finally outside that his expression changed suddenly, a more solemn one replacing the uncertain one.

Gary leaned back against the door of the office and sighed. His eyes filled with sorrow and his thighs weakened. _Care too much...?_ He wondered and closed his eyes. _How many years have passed since then anyway?_ He didn't know, but he still remembered every moment of it as if it was just yesterday.

It was evening when he exited the school building, dusk approaching slowly. He was in a rush, running happily when a strange sound suddenly ringed in his ear. He heard someone sobbing, he remembered watching as tears drenched his face, feeling the eminent sadness and loneliness oozing out of him. He remembered as that young raven-haired boy cried aloud, blaming himself for the loneliness that stung him. He remembered how he himself felt what it really meant to be sad. He remembered how he himself was on the verge of shedding tears that day...

The bell suddenly rang, breaking the trance of the brunette. Gark heaved a breath in and shook his head. "Idiot..." he murmured with a faint smile, then looked to his left.

Ash was sitting on a chair outside the office, his arms loosely flailing over each other and eyes, filled with disdain, staring at the floor. Gary shook his head again and sighed before walking to him.

"Oi..." Gary called out. Ash blinked suddenly as if startled, then looked up at Gary. The brown-haired boy sat next to him. "You sure know how to get into trouble, don't you?"

Ash did not speak but averted his gaze. Gary held his hands together, his finger intertwining, as he looked at Ash. "I'm still kinda surprised you know. The role of Unown in guiding our history, all those strange looking ancient texts, and even the connection of it all to their origin. All of this data...where did you even find it all?"

"I have my ways..." Ash murmured, his right thumb softly grazing his left hand.

"You don't get to defeat the great Gary Oak, Ketchum." Gary grinned. "Come on, tell me, where did you find it?"

Ash opened his mouth to say something, Gary presumed he wanted to yell him off, but then his stomach growled. A blush crept on his face as Gary began laughing.

"You haven't been eating well, eh?" Gary stood up, forcing the raven-haired boy up along. "We might actually get a headstart over others if we hurry."

* * *

"Are you even listening to me?" Dawn complained, glaring at Serena who yawned lazily, a lone tear rolling down her cheek. "What's up with you today?"

"I, um..." Serena felt her cheeks heating. "Sorry...I was too busy with that presentation last night. I didn't get proper sleep."

"You prepared that last night?" Dawn asked, astonished. When Serena nodded, she felt her eyes widening. "But I really thought you two sorted it out already!"

"Yeah, well...kind of," Serena murmured, averting her gaze. "It didn't go as I thought it would though."

"Wait...so you two didn't prepare it together?" Dawn inquired. "Were you lying back then?"

"What? N-No! We did work together...you see, that's what I was helping him out with during our free trails," Serena explained, then sighed. "I never thought it would actually come so helpful one day."

"Yeah..." Dawn laughed. "But really, the presentation was good but it's really questionable where did you guys find all those material and facts. Did you really meet Spencer Hale?"

"Yeah, well..." Serena nodded, nervously grazing her cheek. "We did...kind of. More likely he did, to be honest."

"Makes it sound like you went pretty overboard." Serena laughed nervously at Dawn's remark, but her eyes slowly dropped back to her lap. The urge to just lean back and fall asleep was too great to ignore, and she might have fallen asleep if it wasn't for a sudden outburst that woke her up entirely.

"Please! You need to help me out!" A familiar voice echoed in her ears and Serena blinked, looking at the blue-haired girl in front of her, her hands clasped together as she bowed down to her.

"W-What's wrong Lara?"

"I need to practice for the upcoming trials but I can't seem to find anyone!" the blue-haired girl cried desperately. "You are the only trained racer here! You have to help me!"

"Jeez girl, calm down," Dawn interrupted. "She's all sleepy right now, leave her be."

"Huh, what?" Lara murmured, then glanced up at the honey-haired girl. She couldn't hide the tired look on her face. "What happened?"

"She spent all night working on today's presentation...apparently she wasn't helped much," Dawn explained.

"Really?" Lara spoke, astonished. Dawn almost laughed when she realised how similar their reactions were. " Ah right, I heard about the commotion during your presentations." Lara took a seat next to Dawn. "What happened?"

"Ah well, the usual..." Dawn replied. She breathed in and leaned back in the chair, staring up at the ceiling of the cafeteria. "...but Damien took it too far this time," she added in a softer voice.

Serena crossed her arms over the table and placed her head over it. When she heard those words, the scene itself began replaying in her mind. She opened her eyes, her gaze soft, as she thought about it.

 _I dare you I'm gonna kill you! I'm gonna kill you—you—let me go, dammit!_

That frenzy rage had scared her, more than when he nearly hit her. She couldn't even move as she witnessed everything unfolding. She wanted to believe that it was all a dream, that it never truly happened. She wanted to erase that memory entirely, but his desperate cries continued to haunt her.

He was raging like flames as if he was inclined to burn the blue-haired boy alive. She couldn't help but wondered what would have happened if nobody would have stopped him? The mere thought of it made her shiver.

"What happened to you..." Serena whispered to herself, her eyes closing. "...can't you just turn back?"

Serena continued to stay like that, ignoring her surrounding and falling far, far away from the reality. All the voices dissipated from her mind and all the thoughts vanished. She stayed in mindless state, losing herself in a totally different world...

...but it was until the bell rang. Everything came back rushing to her mind suddenly and her head began hurting. When she opened her eyes, she was half dazed. She tried to fall asleep again but felt a pair of hands shaking her.

"Wake up, Serena. It's already over..." Dawn's voice rang in her ear. Serena groaned in annoyance but was forced to sit up when Dawn pinched her arm. "You slept for the whole break, Serena. Don't you want to go to your next class?"

"But it's a free trial!" Serena complained, crying sleepily.

"It is...?" Dawn murmured.

"You should have left me like that."

"Stop acting like a spoiled child," Dawn spoke sternly. "Go somewhere else and do something productive! Unless you want me to pinch you again..."

"You're horrible!"

"Right..." Dawn grabbed Serena by arm and pulled her up. "Now let's get out of here."

Serena wasn't happy with Dawn dragging her around the school halls, but she hated her threat even more. It reminded her how cruelly her own mother would forcefully wake her up by sending the Fletchling on every holiday.

By the time Dawn left her, she made sure to completely wake her up. Serena found herself in front of her locker, the hall already quiet without any student. She sighed and placed everything inside carefully before picking up a spare notebook. She closed the locker room and began walking through the hallway.

All this time, she couldn't help but think about what had happened during her presentation. She couldn't force it out of her mind despite trying hard as if it was stuck.

 _And that's why I told you to work with me. Look where he dragged you no—_

"As if..." Serena huffed in annoyance. "I wouldn't work with you even if you were the last person alive."

Her trance suddenly broke when she heard the sound of footsteps behind her. She turned around and saw the raven-haired boy rushing towards her. He didn't seem to notice that she was looking at him, but when he did, his pace decreased. By the time he stopped running, he was standing right in front of her.

Serena observed the tiredness in his eyes as he breathed heavily. He opened his mouth to say something, but words never left. The pain remained abundant in his eyes, though, and she once again found herself worrying for him. Before Ash could find the words, she interjected.

"How are you feeling now?"

Ash stared at her blankly, unable to comprehend the meaning of her words. He couldn't help but wonder what she was talking about; the day before or...? But then it clicked and he felt his gaze softening.

"Yeah, I-I'm fine..." Ash murmured, looking away.

"That's good..." Serena spoke in a soft voice. When Ash looked back at him, she smiled gently at him. Neither could speak after that. Serena continued to stare at him, realising how he was struggling for words even now. What could it be that he so desperately wanted to tell her?

Or was she just imagining it?

She might be, she thought and lowered her gaze. She sighed in disappointment at her own foolishness before turning around and began to walk away. It was only then when she heard him, and his words surprised her more than she could have ever anticipated.

"W-Wait..." Ash took a step after her, his hand reaching out to her. "I-I...uh, I just want to tell you something."

Serena turned around, still surprised, as she glanced at him. "What...?" she barely whispered.

"I uh..."

And once again he struggled for the words. Serena waited and continued to stare at him, but he could never speak again. She couldn't help but wonder why he was even trying, then shook her head. She turned around and began walking again.

Ash clicked his tongue, feeling his chest tightening at the pain began welling inside. _What am I doing?_ He tried to bring together all the courage that he harboured and let it all out at once.

"I'm sorry!"

His words left the effect on her that he sought for so long when she stopped once again. He never saw it but her eyes widened in surprise.

"I...I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry. I...It-It wasn't really cool of me to just hang up on you like that and I...I just want to apologise to you for everything."

"It's fine..." Serena breathed in and began walking again. Watching her go, Ash once again rushed after her and this time, she knew. "Don't worry about it. I talked to Professor Juniper later, she said it was good, pointed out some things that could have been better..."

"I'm sorry..." Ash repeated.

"I said don't worry about it."

The ache in his chest grew more and more as the familiar feeling of the guilt began dawning upon him again. His feet stopped moving on their own and he never realised, but a spark for resolution ignited inside him. He looked up at her again and without even realising it, called her out.

"Serena..."

Hearing her name, at that moment, she realised that all these time he had never called her by her name. He never even tried. An eminent joy bubbled inside her and she found herself biting her lips; her feet stopped moving.

"You've been really helpful to me all these time and I'm grateful to you. I really am..." Serena held the notebook in her hands tighter as she heard him. "Is...Is there anything I can do to ever repay you...for everything that you've done for me?"

Serena felt an urge to just turn around and tell him that he did not need to, that he considered it was enough for her, but a part of her heart denied and even though she knew she was being selfish, she couldn't hold herself back from grabbing this opportunity.

"Well then..." she murmured, her soft voice ringing throughout the quiet hallway as she turned around to face him. Ash could only stare at her as she smiled, her hands bringing the notebook to her chest and pressing it tightly.

"Go out with me, Ash."

* * *

 **A/N: There were some parts of this chapter I think I could have executed better but I think, all in all, it came out better than what I had expected. This chapter had me redo many things and by the time I was finished, turned out I made some choices that would have me rethink the entire arc that would be starting _after_ the next chapter. It seriously sucks...but hopefully these changes would be for better future of the story. So what does that mean again? I won't be able to keep up with the regular update schedule as I will be redoing the already written chapter 17. All I ask of you is your support and a little patience, please?**

 **Make sure you review and I will see you next time. In the meantime, feel free to talk about the sudden change of events at the end of this chapter that I assume you are kinda looking forward to now...** 😉


	18. Chapter 17

"So let me get this straight," Gary began, "she told you to visit the Orange Archipelago?"

"Suggested." Ash corrected. "But yes, she said it would serve us better if we were to actually research a site, especially one which isn't... _unauthorised_."

"Ah..." Gary chuckled. "But are you sure it's not going to be an inconvenience?"

"I don't know..." Ash paused, the buzzing of people passing by ringing in his ears. He looked around and realised that they were nearly in the city. The voice of his long-time partner suddenly rang in his ear, reminding him that the yellow rodent was still lying atop his head instead of his cap. "Professor did say the site is likely dead, you know? No one really goes there, not the researchers I mean. It's more like a tourist spot now."

"Aw man, I always wanted to go there." Gary sighed and placed his hands on the back of his head, staring up.

"Yeah," Ash murmured. "That place is a heaven. There are some amazing trials. A bunch of festivals. Coral reefs. Nice, long beach..."

"Where did you learn all that?" Gary interjected and Ash didn't think even once before responding.

"Dad told me..." The uneasiness swept the smile off his face immediately when Ash realised what he had said. An air of melancholy surrounded him and he stared down at his feet. "...he used to at least," he whispered to himself, breathing in longingly.

Gary glanced at him from the corner of his eye and sighed to himself. When he looked up, he noticed the sadness oozing out from the rodent Pokémon. Pikachu voiced his concern but Ash disregarded it as if he never heard him. For a brief moment, they stared at each other and Gary almost believed that Pikachu was weeping out in sorrow. It once again reminded him just how distant the two have grown over past few months; they wouldn't leave each other even for a moment back then and now they almost don't interact at all.

"So Orange Archipelago, huh?" Gary murmured before forcing a smirk on his face. "I'm pretty sure you just need an excuse to see Serena in a two-piece..."

"Huh?" Ash glanced up at the brunette, absorbing his words. When he realised what Gary had said, his eyes widened immediately and he felt his face heating up. "W-What are you talking about? Of course, I don't!"

"Come on, pal, I know you better than anyone." Gary elbowed him, feeling him tense up even more as his face flushed red. He quickly wrapped his arm around his neck-Pikachu jumped right before-and raised his arm up as if he was introducing Ash with the wisdom itself.

"Just imagine the sea in front of you, a flock of Wingull passing over your head. You look ahead at the sea, where small waves greet each other with flattery. You want to just let everything go and think the world could not get any better, but then from the sea ascend someone, a beauty never seen before...the red two-piece over her creamy skin suited her better, you think that even that Milotic behind her paled in comparison. As you stare at her, your heart pound wildly...and you can't help but wonder, how could anyone be so pretty..."

"G-Get the hell off me!" Ash yelled suddenly, throwing the brunette's arm off him. He stumbled back as soon as he freed himself but only to crash into a tree on the footpath. His head felt light and his body weak as a strange and unfamiliar feeling overwhelmed him. He breathed in sharply and raised his head up, trying to calm himself down in the cool air under the shadow of the tree.

"Dude..." Ash heard Gary's voice. He looked down and at him with weak eyes. "Was that my words?" Gary asked, surprised, but his eyes widened in disbelief when he saw Ash's expression. "For goodness' sake, how wild is your imagination?!"

"I should be asking that!" Ash yelled back and Gary struggled to stifle the fits of laughter that were threatening to burst out. "What the hell is even wrong with you?"

When Ash looked down, he saw Pikachu rolling on the ground laughing. When Pikachu climbed back up to his feet he glanced at Ash who was glaring at him. He immediately started making kissing face and letting out a matching sound, "Chu-chu-chu."

Ash burst into madness, his face turning red as he clenched his fist. "Come here you stupid Pokémon!" he yelled as he ran after the electric type, but Pikachu ran past his legs. Ash tried to turn around, but his feet twisted and he ended up stepping on Pikachu's tail.

"Pika!" A loud cry of pain erupted from Pikachu's throat and before Ash could realise his mistake, a jolt of electricity rushed through his spine as Pikachu unleashed his thunderbolt.

A moment of hesitation was all it took for a third party to save themselves from getting involved and crisping themselves. Neither Ash nor Gary realised that they had an audience until both Ash and Pikachu had calmed down, one softly caressing his tail while other feeling dazed and out of whack.

"What is wrong with you..." Ash could only murmur before he fell on his back, exhausted. He breathed in, trying to absorb the pain. He was surprised that he was still intact after all these electrifying mishaps he had to go through with Pikachu; perhaps his electricity wasn't as strong as he made it look like?

Lost in the train of his thoughts, Ash barely heard Gary mumbling a greeting. Confused, he looked up at him and then followed his gaze, only to find a familiar face standing upside behind him.

"...you have gotta be kidding me."

Ash couldn't have been in a worse position, lying at her feet.

* * *

"Gary?" The brown-haired boy turned around, surprised to see Dawn standing behind him. "What are you doing here?"

"I can ask you the same thing," Gary murmured and smiled before turning towards the building ahead of him. "You don't often come here, do you?"

"Library?" Dawn glanced at the building as well before turning to him. "Not really." She chuckled. "I never had to."

"Mhm." Gary turned back to the blunette. "Are you by chance free right now?" When Dawn nodded, he continued. "Care to accompany me?"

"Why don't you go with Ash?"

"I wish I could. That was my plan, too, but..." Gary sighed, crossing his arms over his head as he looked up. "He seems busy planning his honeymoon with your best friend."

"W-What?" the bluenette chocked, her eyes widening. She glanced at the brunette, trying to read him. He stayed stern, motionless and Dawn felt her cheeks heating up. "Y-You are joking, right?"

"Well..." Gary glanced away and rushed up the stairs, towards the entrance of the library. As he held the door, he briefly glanced back at Dawn. "They _are_ planning to go to Orange Archipelago together next week."

"No way..."

"Oh they are, trust me," Gary said as he opened the door. He paused briefly before turning around, eyeing Dawn to follow him. Dawn would have denied had her curiosity wasn't at its peak. She walked after him right as he entered the library.

The librarian was quick to notice as the two teens entered and Gary silently waved in his direction. The old librarian smiled and nodded as the two teens passed him and deeper into the mountain of thousands of books that the place owned.

"Who told you...?" Dawn questioned in a whispering voice once she found herself alone with the brunette.

"Ash did..." Gary murmured his response before stopping and turning to the shelves. He glanced at several books, his eyes scrunching down in disappointment when he realised it wasn't what he was looking for. He placed his finger on it as he began walking, tracing all the books along the way.

As brief and unsettling silence befell the teens, Gary turned to his other side, worried that Dawn might have left him behind. To his surprise, she was still walking with him but she seemed out of her mind, a dazzling look present in her eyes.

"Professor Juniper was impressed by their presentation-" Dawn's trance broke suddenly when she heard him and turned to face him, watching as his eyes lowered down with uneasiness. "-even with everything that happened..."

Dawn opened her mouth to speak something, but words refused to come out as she recalled the events from yesterday herself. What Damien had said brought out only the inevitable reaction from Ash, but she did not expect him to literally burst into madness in front of the professor.

"I-I see..."

Dawn knew the sensitivity of the topic, even to Gary and in the end, that was she could muster out.

"She wants them to continue and literally work together this time. She criticised Ash a lot for that." Gary chuckled with the last part. "Can you imagine the look on his face?"

"I guess," Dawn murmured. "That doesn't explain why are you here though." When Gary turned to face her, she added. "What do you really want from me?"

"A little help." When Dawn gave her a quizzical look, Gary sighed and stopped. "I...might be interested in it as well."

"Oh?" Dawn mused, placing her hands on her hips. "And what is it this time?"

"You know, whatever Serena said yesterday, she wasn't just reading out a presentation handed to her. I have looked at everything before and trust me, there is a lot more she added then I knew."

"What do you mean?" Dawn raised her eyes, confused. Her shoulders sulk down as Gary leaned on the shelves and sighed.

"Ketchum' theories are correct, to some extent. He might not make it look like that but he has been obsessing over it for nearly a year now."

"You're joking..." Dawn chuckled dryly but the imminent silence only made her feel weary. "...but why?"

Gary opened his mouth to speak but then paused, eyeing the blunette carefully. He sighed and shook his head. His eyes wandered around to see if someone was listening to them and once he was certain that they had their needed privacy, he turned back to Dawn.

"Promise me you won't tell anyone about it." Gary's voice was strangely heavy. The seriousness in his eyes was startling and, to some extent, very scary. "No one."

"O-Okay..." Dawn heaved in sharply as she whispered.

"About fifteen months ago, we found a bag in one of the laboratories. At first, I thought it was nothing special, the lab was pretty much abandoned by gramps for a while now. He had allowed us to use it however we liked, so chances were very slim that we would find something interesting, but..."

Gary paused, his eyes closing as he breathed in. Dawn continued to stare at him, the uneasiness creeping over her. He would have been silent for merely seconds but to her, it felt like hours. The suspense was killing her.

"The bag...it belonged to his father..." Gary paused again and shook his head. "It wasn't supposed to be strange, but it was hidden beneath the floor, in a storage, I never thought existed.

"We didn't tell gramps about it even though I wanted to. Ash was reluctant so I let him be, for once. Guess I shouldn't have because he has been obsessing over its content ever since as if it is gold. I shouldn't have been surprised, it was something that belonged to his parents. But he has distanced himself from everyone because of that, even Pikachu.

"So one day, I looked at it. I wanted to know what's so amusing about it that he had to keep it a secret from everyone? I said I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was wrong. It was more than what I could have understood."

"What...what was it?"

"His father...he was onto something before they..." Gary heaved in but never spoke those words. Dawn couldn't blame him either. Watching Ash suffering all these years, even if she wouldn't agree, she had come to accept that she pitied Ash, too. "Ash was never quite able to figure out anything...until a few months ago."

Dawn wanted to laugh at those words but she felt weary instead when she realised where it was going. She wanted to ignore it, think otherwise, but she could not. There was only one exception and Gary had already made it clear to her.

"Serena..." she whispered. And to her dismay, Gary nodded in response. "She did tell me their parents were close..."

"Whatever it is, Dawn..." Gary began again. "...Serena knows about it more than Ash does. But if I were to guess, that's her limit. One lack sources, other lack the ability to understand. And I don't think it's strange that they happened to find a common ground in all these. It's...It's not just a coincidence, Dawn. There.."

"...was a reason why it was kept a secret from him, and her. Both of them." Dawn finished and looked up at Gary, a quizzical expression taking over his features as he stared at her with surprise. "Serena told me...she loves his father, but curiously, she barely knows much about him...or what he does."

* * *

Ash was having a hard time keeping his gaze steady. More than often he stole a quick glance at Serena, and somehow she looked back at him the same time. Every time he was caught, he averted her gaze while she wondered what was wrong with him.

"So, where do you want to go?" Serena broke the long silence.

Ash looked up at her again with a puzzled look. Where did he want to go? He had no idea. In fact, his mind was baffled since yesterday to even think properly. To think that Serena would play with him like that was already too much for him to comprehend.

"Are you even listening to me?"

When she called him out again, Ash's trance broke and he looked away. He breathed in and shook his head. His head hurt for a brief moment when he recalled Pikachu hadn't moved over yet.

"What do you want from me?" Ash finally muttered out and to his surprise, Serena did not appear as baffled as he had anticipated. She had anticipated him to see through her already.

"I just...wanted to spend some time with you, I think." Ash was surprised but wasn't convinced. He remained silent and let her continue. "It's been a really long time-I think we have a lot of catching up to do."

"You know I'm not interested," Ash interjected suddenly and once again, she did not even flinch.

"I do..." she muttered out.

"Then why-?"

"I just wanted an excuse to get you out." Serena interrupted him before he could even finish. Ash shivered at her words then glanced at her. The honey-haired girl crossed her hands behind her back as she walked, her gaze never shifting from him. "If it helps you feel any better, let's just say I wanted to discuss our project somewhere outside."

But that did not make him feel any better. Instead, he felt even worse when he recalled yesterday's events and how he was later lectured by Professor Juniper. Her voice was friendly, but her words were bitter. They did leave some sort of impact on him.

 _I know you don't get along with her so well but the least you can do is try. She's too, you know?_

That's what she had said and as much as he was annoyed at her for bringing her up in his privacy like that, he felt guilty too. Indeed Serena had been trying to push aside all their differences and he was being way too stubborn for his own good.

"I...uh." Ash opened his mouth to speak and Serena glanced at him but he could not muster up the courage to speak and in the end, sighed. He recalled Professor's words and tried once again, but could only rally up one word. "...fine."

He thought this was not enough, but to Serena, his approval meant more than he could have imagined. She beamed brightly and quickly grabbed his hand, surprising him.

"Come with me, we have a lot to discuss..."

And with that, she dragged him along with her. Ash was too shocked to observe his surroundings and where he was going. If anything he could remember, it was her quiet laughter and humming that was ringing in his ear. He did not dare to fight back either. He could not because never in so long had he felt so fulfilled that he yearned for more of this happiness that was strangely bubbling inside him.

For once, he could accept that he wasn't sad and alone.

By the time Ash regained his senses, he found himself in a cafe. He looked around and felt strangely astonished; the familiar place looked oddly beautiful today.

"Your friend is not with you today?"

A familiar voice broke his trance and Ash turned to the person speaking, finding a woman standing behind the counter that was to his left.

"Yeah, well, he is busy today..." Ash rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as he answered while Serena glanced at the woman in confusion. How did Ash know her? As if the woman saw through, she turned to Serena and smiled.

Serena couldn't understand anything but she knew there was more than just a mere greeting behind that smile. A suggestion that she couldn't comprehend because it wasn't only directed at her but at Ash, too.

Nonetheless, she followed Ash who already found an empty spot near the window and slumped down on it. Pikachu hopped down on the table while Serena took her seat in front of him.

No sooner they were approached by a waitress. She smiled at them but then a quizzical expression shrouded her feature when she noticed Serena.

"Gary is not with you today?" she asked Ash and disappointment was evident in her eyes when Ash shook his head. "Oh well, anyway, what would you two like to have?"

Serena turned her attention to the menu that was on the table. As she glanced through it, her eyes suddenly widened when she noticed something familiar.

"The usu-"

"A Citron Pressé please!" Serena suddenly interjected.

"A fine choice! It's my personal favourite in summer!" The waitress beamed at the choice as she jotted it down. She then turned to Ash. "The usual for you?"

"Actually..." He briefly glanced at Serena. "...I would like same, please."

"Very well." The waitress then looked over at Pikachu. "One can never argue with you, hmm?" She smiled at him while she rubbed his fur affectionately before leaving, telling him she would bring their drinks soon.

"Gary is gonna get a heart attack this time for sure," Ash murmured once the waitress was gone, and chuckled along with Pikachu who somehow found his words funny. Serena turned to both of them, unable to pick on their inside joke.

"Do you...know her?" Serena inquired in a low voice.

"Yeah," Ash muttered, a smile still on his face. "We come here often. Me and Gary, that is, so we're kinda familiar with all of them."

"Oh..." Serena mused.

"Gary often flirt with them but they never really paid him any heed," Ash unconsciously added, arousing the honey-haired girl's interest. "This is the first time she asked about him, so it was surprising."

Now that she thought about it, the woman at the reception and all the waitresses working here, they were all pretty cute. It didn't surprise her anymore that most of the staff working here was filled with young girls; probably Gary picked up the place after all.

That thought put her to some ease and she looked up at Ash, who was staring out the window.

Intently, Serena stretched her legs out, her hands clasping together in her lap. At first, when Ash felt her feet grazing his, he did not pay it any heed; the table was pretty small after all so it could have been an accident. But then he felt her legs rubbing against his own. He tried to think otherwise, but at this point, he could not deny she was doing that intentionally.

When Ash gave her a perplexed look, Serena could tell that at the very least, he wasn't mad. Indeed he wasn't because he himself could not figure out what was this strange feeling that was gushing inside him.

"Hey, Ash." Her voice rang in his ears suddenly, a sense of sadness welling in her sweet voice, startling him. "Why don't you smile anymore?"

To say he wasn't taken aback by her sudden question would be an understatement. He continued to glance at her wordlessly as her arms folded together on the table, while Pikachu hopped down next to Ash as if trying to give them some privacy.

Serena moved her arms up and place her chin in her hands, a smile making its way to her lips as she voiced herself, "I like you more when you are smiling."

Ash was baffled beyond his limit at this point, unable to comprehend the situation at all. He did not want to bluff around and make a fool out of himself, so he stayed silent, but his mind was running with the force of numerous Tauros.

The last thing Ash remembered was her smile before he averted his gaze, unable to look at her anymore. He could never have thought how soon her expression would change though and an air of melancholy surrounded her soon enough.

Her eyes dropped to the table and her smile turned into a frown and when she spoke next, he could almost feel the distress in her voice. "How are you feeling, Ash?"

Ash could no longer tell what was in the mind of the young girl sitting in front of him. At the very least, he could tell her concern was no different than others but he never realised when and how she surpassed all the boundaries and made him feel the love and care she held for him that he never knew existed.

His heart ached at her words and her voice, and his eyes nearly welled up upon realising how much he missed to be loved and cared over past years he spent living in the solitude.

Serena was alarmed when she heard him sniffle, his expression hidden from her. She noticed him fiddling his fingers together and his chest heaving sharply, her eyes widening upon realising what was happening at the moment.

"A-Ash, I-"

"Here's your order!"

The familiar face of the waitress appeared soon enough with a tray in her hands and their drinks upon it. Serena's trance broke and she looked up at her, who placed their drinks on the table. She couldn't help but raise her eyes in surprise when she noticed a bottle of ketchup, too.

Pikachu was quick to respond and jumped on the table. He grabbed the ketchup bottle, removed the cap and instantly began sipping in. Serena would have been dumbfounded was she not already occupied by other concerns, but she was indeed surprised.

Who drink ketchup in a cafe?!

The waitress left soon enough but not before eyeing Serena briefly, the gaze that she caught herself. She decided to brush it off though and returned her attention to the raven-haired boy who still seemed out of his mind.

"Ash..." Serena called out his name again, urging herself not to blatantly say something that would make things worse but her next words were suppressed by Ash, who began rubbing his arm over his eyes.

"My eyes are burning..." he murmured and it didn't take Serena another moment to realise what he was doing. It pained her to see him lie to her like that. What could be the reason, she wondered but Ash interjected before she could voice her concern. "So what do you want to talk about?"

"Talk about..." she whispered under her breath. She shook her head and forced a smile; she could inquire him later as much as wanted. She would hate to ruin their _date_ with an aggressive turn of events.

"What do you have in mind, then?" Serena spoke, crossing her arms over the table. "You talked with Professor Juniper later, right?"

"Yeah," Ash murmured. "She mentioned several ruins spread on the Orange Archipelago. Said it would be better to examine them during the breaks starting from next week."

"Are you interested?"

Ash eyed her wearily, before leaning back. He glanced down at his lap as he responded, "Not really."

"You don't have to lie, you know?" Ash glanced up at her, feeling apprehensive. He opened his mouth to retort calmly but was beaten by her. "I noticed already...you wanted to go there for a while now."

"What do you mean?"

"Ash..." Serena breathed and shook her head. "Don't forget it was I who decrypted everything for you, well, most. You had plans already even then. And then the presentation, too..."

Ash glanced away from her again, biting his lower lip. He couldn't deny her claim; she did notice after all. He could have opposed her, but he wondered what would be the consequences. Nor that he cared, but he couldn't because he wanted to go there, too.

"You can use this project an excuse to visit the sites. That's what stopping you, isn't it?"

"I...guess." Ash sighed, feeling his chest tightening. How much did this girl know? He knew she couldn't have figured it all out without taking a look at his notes. Did Gary give everything to her that day?

"So, do you want to go?" Serena asked. When Ash looked at her, she smiled. "If we hurry we can make quick arrangements. I'm sure mom wouldn't mind helping me. And we can ask Professor Oak to deal with the authorities, just in case, you know?"

 _So she planned that ahead already?_ Ash sighed and looked up at the ceiling, wondering why was she helping him so much. To him, she was still nausea but maybe he had softened considerably since last time. He could barely refuse her anymore.

"So I got used to you after all..." Ash whispered.

"Hmm?"

"Nothing..." Ash shook his head, adjusted himself on his seat as he leaned forward again. He held his drink and took a sip. The feeling refreshment welling inside him almost immediately and he couldn't help but smile a little. "...it's good."

"Isn't it?" Serena smiled as she spoke and Ash reminded himself to be quiet around her. "So, do you want to go?"

"Sure," Ash murmured as he looked up at her.

"And..." Her voice forced him to rethink his choice; was she up to something? "...would you mind if we have a little fun too?"

"Eh?" Ash blinked.

"Basically we are visiting a tourist spot, it's only fair if we make most out of it."

"I guess..." Ash muttered then wondered what was he even saying. "...we could do that." He was hesitant but by no means did he deny. He could only wonder how amazing she looked when he saw her beaming brightly before gazing away.

"Yeah, I approve that!" A new voice suddenly quipped in. Ash looked up and saw Gary walking towards them. "Look who I found hanging around?"

Serena turned to look at him and to her surprise, she saw Dawn walking behind him. She was surprised, to say the least. She always thought Gary was an annoyance to Dawn. Seeing them together was definitely a surprise to her.

"Move over..." Gary nudged Ash on the shoulder, who obliged with a grunt of disapproval that the brunette ignored. Serena moved over without a word to let Dawn have a seat next to her.

"So you have made up your mind?" Gary began. "Would you mind if we join?"

"We?" Serena voiced her thought that she shared with Ash, who looked at Gary as well.

"Yeah, well..."

Serena was surprised at Dawn's interjection. "You want to?" She wasn't about to push her away, but she was surprised at her decision.

"...I don't really mind. I wanted to go there anyway, just didn't have the time and company." Dawn explained.

"So, a yes then?" Gary quipped in. He looked at Serena, then glanced at the raven haired boy who was still looking at him blankly. He knew he wouldn't get any response from Ash at the moment-nor that he could deny anyway-so he turned back to Serena.

"I...don't mind. I think..." Serena spoke, a hint of reluctance obvious in her voice. Gary reminded himself that it wasn't the time to make a big deal of it, but a smirk made its way on his face nonetheless.

"It's a deal then," Gary concluded before leaning back, crossing his arms behind his head. "But I'm surprised you managed to convince his thick head so easily."

"For your information-" Serena raised her finger. "-I have known him longer than you. I know how to deal with his stubbornness better than you do." There was a hint of satisfaction in her voice. Superiority, too, as if she was telling him she had the upper hand in any situation related to Ash.

"Leave me out of it," Ash interjected, shuffling in his seat as she took another sip of his drink. He noticed Gary grinning from the corner of his eye while Serena giggled.

"Let's move to Dawn then."

"Hey!"

An air of liveliness filled the group and the cafe that was strangely silent today. Not that they had no customers but rarely did high school students visited them; besides Ash and Gary, their regular customers, no one else. The staff wasn't detached from others but they held a special attachment with the two. More than often Gary would provide them a good time to laugh at. It made them welcome the two everytime like it was their home-to one of them at least.

The cashier, who also happened to be the manager of the cafe, was a close acquaintance of both the families since a young age. She was just a teenager when she first met Ash and Gary; both of them were nothing more than kids back then. She had taken an instant likeness of the pair. So when the tragedy struck one, watching the young raven-haired boy so devastated pained her. It has been years since then, but he could barely cope with his loss. Every time he visited, there was an air of desolation around him. He barely ever smiled and if he did, it was almost everytime because of Gary.

Today, however, was different. For the first time, she did not witness him emitting the same aura, as if it disappeared without any trace. That was just an overestimation, though, and she did notice the trouble on his face soon, but never did she see him being so soft before. Welcoming, even if a little.

She wondered what was the reason. She did not need the answer, though; Gary already gave a possible explanation. She just never believed him but watching the raven-haired boy often glancing at the honey-haired girl without her attention, she could now tell the young Oak wasn't just fooling around. He never did when it came to Ash-he was that kind of friend.

Eventually, Ash happened to look at the manager and their eyes met briefly. He started at her without blinking, sipping his drink quietly. She couldn't help but smile at him. It took Ash another moment to realise the true meaning of her gesture and when he did, he turned away almost immediately, looking out the window instead of either of them.

"Since everyone's free, how about we get everything arranged today?" Dawn proposed. "Serena and I can prepare for the trip while you two can deal with the professor."

"Sounds good." Gary nodded. "What do you think, Ash?"

"Mhm," Ash mumbled through the drink. It was an approval with the slightest hint of reluctance.

"Still feeling dazed from earlier?" Gary chuckled, recalling when Ash had stepped over Pikachu's tail. The victim, the other one, also looked up at Gary as his small ears perked up. His gaze lowered as he looked back at his tail, softly caressing it in his paws. Gary had to hold back his laughter when Ash glared at him.

"Ah, yes" Serena interjected. "What were you two doing back then anyway?"

Ash nearly choked on his drink when he heard those words and Gary burst out in laughter.

"I-It's nothing! Nothing to do with _you_ out of all the people!" His face was burning and his cheeks turned red as Gary started spilling tears and laughed harder. "And neither you or even you!" He added as he glanced at Dawn and Gary both.

The two girls looked at each other in confusion before looking back at him. All the attention only made him feel worse. He was flushing red in embarrassment and unable to cope with it, looked away from everyone.

For a brief moment, Ash glanced at Gary aggressively. "You and I need a serious talk," he threatened in a low and heavy voice. His temper refused to go but he managed to hold himself back for long enough and before he knew, he found himself standing at the reception with everyone else.

Ash paid for his drink before walking ahead and joining Gary while they waited for Serena and Dawn. For a moment, the woman at the reception glanced at Serena and the honey-haired girl once again found herself unable to comprehend the meaning behind it. What was so interested in her anyway? She almost blurted it out nonchalantly but the woman beat her to it as if she saw through her effortlessly.

She stepped back, her head leaning in the direction of the two boys. "She's cute, you know?" she said with a giggle, her words were directed towards only one though.

An awkward silence filled the air as Ash looked at the woman. Briefly, he glanced at Serena, who seemed too confused to even comprehend anything, who looked back at him as well. Ash turned back to the woman again and observed her smile. There was the same suggestion in her eyes that he had noticed earlier and he did not take too long to understand what was going on.

Ash glanced at Gary at last and right in time to observe a faint hint of amusement creeping over his face.

"Gary you didn't say..."

Gary realised the situation soon and could hardly hold back his smile anymore that was threatening to turn into laughter, and in time, too because Ash almost lost his sanity as he yelled after him, Gary already running ahead of him.

"Come back here you goddamn bastard!"

* * *

 **It's been over a month, I know, but I hope this chapter was worth the wait. And with this here, uploaded, a lot of weight has been put off my chest. That's right people; the first arc of this story is finished! Starting with the next one, we will follow our protagonists on their vacation to the Orange Archipelago. A new adventure awaits in the continuation and you will get to dwell deeper inside the mystery that has been build up to this point. And hopefully, some (hint) heart aching cheesiness.**

 **That being said, there still won't be consistency in the updates for a while. I will try to get another chapter out by the first or second week of June but no promises. In the meantime, please do leave reviews. I haven't seen much in a while so I would like to think what do you think of this first arc overall. Am I asking for too much?**

 **P.S. Are you guys familiar with Monogatari series? If so, what are your thoughts on it?**


	19. Chapter 18

_**Arc 2: Hope**_

« • • • »

 ** _"Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain—and most fools do. But it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving."_**

« • • • »

 **Was he good enough to fix his broken friend? Or even his new allies would fail him? Would anything ever change? Would he be able to change that depression into sombreness at least?**

* * *

The drizzling sound echoed through the forest as he walked under the night sky glimmering with the stars and the crescent moon.

The abundance of the silence remained the same, yet something about this unfamiliar territory made him feel weary. He stopped, letting out a long and heavy but quiet breath, as he closed his eyes.

The sound of footsteps nearing him became abundant. He could sense the movements in the bushes around him; the presences were nearing him. It was just a matter of time when he opened his eyes and was met with several men coming out and surrounding him, holding what appeared like rods in their hand.

The boy tilted his head and smiled softly, closing his eyes again. He could hear the sound of hands gripping tightly on the rods, shoes grinding on the ground, and the people running towards him. Time seemed to stop as he inhaled slowly, a breeze hitting his face. A man's foot pressed upon a wooden stick, breaking it, and it was when the boy reacted.

Reaching out for the swords hanging on his back, the boy pulled and crossed the swords in front of him. The rod stuck between the swords and the man gritted, pushing forward.

Another man attempted to assault the boy from the other side, but the boy leaned aside and quickly hit his elbow on the face of the man.

The boy moved aside and the man pushing forward fell to the ground. The boy glanced at him briefly and smirked before smashing the tail of the sword on the man's head, knocking him out. When he turned around, more men had joined already. He took a deep breath and gripped the swords tight. The men had completely surrounded him.

"Well then," the boy muttered to himself and narrowed his eyes. "Shall we?"

The boy charged forward and the men began running forward. When they appeared close, they raised their rods to assault the boy, but the boy slid down through their feet. Thrusting his sword into the ground, he stopped and turned around. He stood up immediately and swung his other sword, cutting through the clothes of a man.

The man grimaced and succumbed down on the ground, gritting his teeth as blood began dripping from his back.

The boy raised a sword in time to counter an incoming rod and slashed the other on the chest of the man, sending him down on the ground. He raised both the swords up in time and shielded himself from an incoming assault. He immediately swirled and smashed the back of the sword on that man's head, right when he felt a rod hitting on his arm.

The boy grimaced and the sword in his hand fell to the ground. Before the man could attack again, the boy leapt back, falling onto a knee as he began panting. He brought both the hands at the end of his now one sword, gritting his teeth. It took him another moment to realize just how much outnumbered he was.

 _If only he was he–_

But his thought was interrupted when a loud roar echoed behind him and through the entire forest. Surprised, the boy turned around but felt his eyes widening when he saw something illuminating the forest.

And it coming his way!

 _"Merde!"_

All the men seem to notice it as well, their eyes widening. Yelling aloud to move away, they turned around and immediately dashed the other way.

The boy began running forward right along with the men assaulting him, but his foot slipped in the nick of the time and he fell to the ground. He groaned, cursing under his breath as he tried to stand back up but the thought of getting up vanished immediately when he witnessed that same energy beam passing over his head and ahead of him.

What appeared like flames, the beam exploded as soon as it collided with a tree ahead. The boy ducked down and covered his head with his arms. He could hear the cries of several men who, he thought, took direct impact of that attack.

It took him another moment to register what had happened and he wearily looked up, his eyes widening at the sight.

Several trees were blown away. Several men were lying on the ground, a few murmuring but unable to stand up. When the boy looked up, he saw the dust was rising higher in the sky.

The destruction was devastating. The thought of taking the hit from that attack alone made his skin crawl. He inhaled deeply, unable to comprehend anything.

"What in the world did that?" he whispered to himself and began to stand back up but he came to regret those words the very next moment when he felt the ground rocking beneath him. His ears perked up and he sensed something coming towards him from behind—something big.

His hands began wavering as he gulped down, feeling the earth still shaking beneath his feet. Gathering every ounce of courage he had left, the boy turned around and looked up. Horror immediately struck him when he saw what it was—the commotion he had created not too long ago had angered someone.

A giant Tyranitar broke through the rubble of trees as zie moved, zir claws fuming with flames. Its eyes wavered with madness as zie looked at the boy and let out an angry roar.

The boy gritted his teeth and raised his sword up at the giant Pokémon. His skin crawled and sweat began building on his skin as he looked up at the monstrous Pokémon. He breathed in but felt helpless as anxiety and fear began to cloud him. No matter where he looked it from, he was no match for this mad Pokémon.

 _Where are you when I need you?!_ The boy thought in his head and took a step back.

"I'm sure we can sort this out nicely..." the boy muttered, his chest heaving as he readjusted his feet. A bead of sweat rolled over his face and drip down on the ground.

The wild Pokémon seemed to react to his words and the flames began dissipating from zir claws. The boy noticed the change and he took a deep breath in. His shoulders sulked down and he loosened up. But he regretted dropping his guard down when he witnessed the wild Pokémon opening zir mouth and charging up.

The boy felt his eyes widening when he saw the same fiery beam from before being fired at him. He reacted immediately and began to run sidewise. He ducked and rolled down, feeling the extreme heat from the Hyper Beam passing over his head. His hand quickly grabbed his other sword and he slid back into the standing position.

Tyraitar narrowed zir eyes and growled, breathing fire out of his mouth. Zie charged the Flamethrower at the boy as he began running around in a circle around him, but was unable to hit him.

The boy retaliated in response before charging forward. Crying out loud he slashed his swords at the rock type Pokémon. Tyranitar took a direct hit but stood unfazed, glaring down at the boy.

"You're strong," the boy murmured, smiling through the gritting teeth. Tyranitar growled and turned towards him. Before he could leap away, zie grabbed one of his swords. The young warrior was taken aback by the sheer strength of the wild Pokémon but didn't expect zir to crush his sword in pieces.

"You've got to be kidding me..."

The boy murmured in a shaky voice as he took a step back. He did not even notice as the Tyranitar moved zir tail and slammed it into him. The boy gasped for the air as he sailed in the air. He slammed against a tree hard and fell down on the ground, breathing hard.

His eyes flicked as he looked up, gritting his teeth at the pain. He saw the mad Pokémon preparing another Flamethrower to fire at him and ended up averting his gaze.

"It was...good knowing you." The boy breathed in sharply and stared up. "But you're now cornered..." Tyranitar fired the flames without another thought of the boy, who shut his eyes closed and yelled through the gritted teeth." _...do it!_ "

A hurricane of water broke through the trees behind him and collided with the flames. Steam exploded in the air and Tyranitar took a step back, surprised and taken aback. But zie never expected someone to charge at zir through the steam.

Red eyes glowed at the distance as zie charged at the Tyranitar, the shuriken glimmered briefly in zir hands before cutting through the wild beast.

* * *

Several voices of joyous cries filled the air as ocean waves washed ashore. The water shimmered beautifully under the bright sun. Pikachu rushed to the beach as Eevee followed him. The two Pokémon stopped just as a wave washed over to their feet.

His ears perked up as Pikachu caught the voice of his trainer and turned around towards him.

"Is that all?" Ash inquired. Gary nodded before turning to the green haired woman standing next to her boat.

"Thanks a lot, Maren."

"Don't sweat it, lads! It wasn't a big deal." Maren waved her hands. "But I gotta go so try not to get into some trouble here now." Gary nodded and simply watched as Maren walked away from them. "I will see you all later!"

Waving back at her, Gary finally turned back to the raven-haired boy who was carrying a beach umbrella in his hand, a folding chair stuck between his arm, a mattress stuck in another arm, a surfing board in the hand, a surfing board standing against him and a floating tube around his neck.

"Are you even planning to take them back?" Ash complained and Gary chuckled as he obliged. "And why did you even bring the floating tube?"

"Yeah, now, don't give me that look." Gary chuckled. "It wasn't my idea to come to a beach now, was it?"

"You little—"

"Ash, watch your step!"

By the time Ash could react to the voice he found his feet stuck in a hole and himself freefalling on the sandy beach with everything toppling over him.

"What the—?!" the raven-haired boy cried as Gary began to laugh. "Who dug this hole here?!" He removed the folding chair from above himself and looked up only to see Serena standing in front of him.

"Are you alright?" the honey-haired girl murmured as she leaned down but Ash was hardly conscious of the worry in her voice.

As he simply stared at her, his eyes widening slowly, the umbrella in his hand opened up above him. Warily, he glanced at the brunette who was struggling to stifle the laughter that was threatening to burst out. He once again turned to Serena, glanced at her briefly then lowered his gaze.

At that point, laughter burst out and Gary could hardly stand still. His eyes welled up and his stomach hurt but the honey-haired girl remained oblivious to the situation.

"What's...wrong?"

The umbrella lowered down and covered Ash's flushing face while he remained silent.

"Come on, now," Gary spoke while he tried to hold back his amusement. "Suck it up, Ashy-boy and help me up with this," he added as he took the umbrella from him; Ash barely struggled. Gary looked past Serena and notice Dawn standing at some distance, then turned back to her. "Go ahead, we'll join you guys shortly."

Serena looked down at Ash once again who refused to look up at her. She remained reluctant but obliged in the end. When she walked away to the safe distance, Gary turned back to Ash and kicked him softly with his naked foot. "Get up."

"You will pay for that." Ash glared at the brunette as he moved away and sat up on his knees. He grabbed the rod of the umbrella and looked for a place to set it up.

"What? Really? I thought you had grown by now—" Gary looked around them. The beach was lively but the area around them was pretty much empty. "Hey, we can set it up right here."

Ash glanced around them and came to the same conclusion. He moved back and looked for the spot to set up the umbrella. "I didn't mean that," he murmured once he found a spot and started digging the rod in the sand.

"What?" Gary glanced at Ash, blinking.

Ash remained silent and didn't even look at him, and was it then the thought suddenly clicked in his mind. A stupid grin made its way on his face as Gary knelt down to help the raven-haired boy set up the umbrella properly.

"You know it's not my fault." Gary chuckled. "Besides, you were the one getting excited."

"Shut up."

"Heh," Gary smirked. "Still getting excited."

"I said shut up!" Ash fumed and lunged at the brunette who tried to evade but was tackled on the sand instead. The umbrella barely remained straight and started leaning on the two.

"What in the world are you doing?!" Toppling over him, the raven-haired pinned Gary down and began choking him. "G-Get the hell off me, fool!"

Gary found himself literally struggling against Ash grip. Though he managed to free himself, he couldn't help but glare at the raven-haired boy. "What's the big deal with you?!"

"I should be the one saying that!"

"I didn't ask you to fantasise over your classmate's bikini!"

"Why you—"

Ash once again moved towards the brunette to strangle him, but his foot gave the umbrella the final push it needed before it came down toppling and covering them.

"What the hell is wrong with you today, Ketchum?!"

"Will you shut up for once?!"

* * *

"It's been a while..." Dawn mused. "...what are they even doing?"

"I don't really know..." Serena shook her head and looked at the beach.

Her shoulders sulked down and eyes blinked with confusion when she witnessed Ash lunging at Gary for yet another time. Surprisingly, the umbrella didn't topple over them this time. Gary evaded him successfully and before she knew, the two began trashing mindlessly.

"...but I think they're trying to kill each other," Serena concluded and turned to the blunette. "Don't you think we should stop them?"

"Don't bother," Dawn waved her hand before looking away from them. "They're at it all the time. Believe me, you can't see the end of it."

Serena began to move her legs in the water as she stared down at the surfboard she was sitting on. The top half was a bright pink and the lower half was white with black shade. It looked beautiful, she could say that, but she wanted to try it out on the waves more than anything at that moment.

By the time Serena looked up at the beach again, the two boys had calmed down and were sitting next to each other under the umbrella, looking straight forward and covered in scratches.

"Do you think we should call them over now?"

When Serena inquired with an uncertain voice, Dawn turned to her and then looked at the beach. She shrugged. "Sure."

Serena once again glanced towards the boys and noticed the two looking their way with a blank expression. When she caught their glances, she smiled and waved at them happily.

"She's calling you..." Gary smirked.

"Shut up," Ash murmured.

"An ocean. A red two-piece. Now, what else are we missing? A Milotic and a quiet place just for the two of you?" Gary heard Ash growling under his breath. "Heh. Who needs that? You have an invitation as a bonus..."

"Cut it out already, will ya?!" Ash fumed, his face burning. At that moment, the two heard Serena's voice calling them. Gary smirked and Ash's face flushed redder. "I'm gonna kill you. I swear, don't take me lightly!"

"Fine, fine." Gary chuckled, raising his arms up in his defence. "But c'mon. Don't you want to go? I mean, everything aside, we came here to have fun in the first place."

Ash diverted his gaze to his feet as he glanced at the surfboard placed in front of him. He remained quiet, listening to the sound of ocean waves. For a brief moment, he glanced at Pikachu who was not too far away from him, Gary's Eevee following him.

"Maybe..." Ash murmured quietly.

"Don't tell me you're scared of water."

"As if."

"Then you're afraid she will beat you in surfing?"

"As if!" Ash cried. "And why everything comes to her in the end?"

When Gary began laughing again, Ash murmured something under his breath. He picked up the surfboard and stood up. He had only taken a few steps when he once again turned around and gave Gary a perplexed look when he found the brunette still sitting there.

"Aren't you coming now?"

"No, it's fine." Gary shook his head. He placed his hand in the sand and leaned back, his eyes staring at the sky. "I will keep an eye on Pikachu and Eevee for you." When he realised Ash wasn't convinced, he added. "Besides...there's something I need to figure out first."

"What are you up to this time?"

"Nothing...really." Gary smiled, then added, "Now go away or I will tell Serena you have been fantasising for this day since last week."

"God bless you thick headed bastard," Ash murmured as he walked away from him, hearing the brunette laughing behind.

No sooner, Ash found himself in the water, peddling his surfboard over the surface of the ocean. He continued to move forward, looking for a wave big enough to surf on. To his surprise, though, he couldn't find even one.

"Now that's strange," he murmured. He stopped moving and climbed over the board before glancing behind him. "Guess, I came a little far away," he added as he glanced at the tiny silhouette of people near the beach and even tinier ones on the beach. He couldn't see Gary at all anymore.

Ash sighed and leaned back. He moved his head back and glanced up in the sky as a flock of Pidgey passed over him. He smiled and tilted his head, looking down into the water when his expression suddenly changed. Albeit for a split second, he noticed something passing underneath him. Alert but curious, Ash looked closely but could only glance at the blurry image of a cream-coloured body with red patterns.

"Could it be...?" His eyes widened with realisation when he came to a conclusion. There was no mistaking it, after all, was there someone more beautiful than that?

As Ash peered closer to the water surface in an attempt to find it, he didn't expect a hand to suddenly come out of the water. He was too surprised to react appropriately and before he could fathom anything, the hand grabbed him and pulled him down in the water.

Ash goggled in front of him with bewilderment, only to find a familiar face laughing at him. Ash opened his mouth to yell but gobbled up a lot of water. Struggling to even breath properly, he pushed himself upwards. His hand found his surfboard floating on the surface and he quickly pushed himself up, coughing violently.

"What in the world do you think you're doing?!" Ash yelled, annoyed and still struggling to breathe. He barely glanced in front of him as the honey-haired girl surfaced, still laughing.

"But you know how to swim," Serena laughed.

"I could have drowned!"

Serena hummed quietly at those words as she smiled. "I wouldn't let that happen."

"As if..." Ash coughed one final time.

Water ruffled out of his hair as he shook his head. He glanced at Serena for a brief moment, who was on the other side of the board, before he remembered something. Taking a deep breath, he once again dove inside.

Perplexed, Serena followed him. Ash was glancing around in the ocean everywhere as if looking for something but the disappointment lurking in his eyes told the story of his failure. He once again swam up the surface and to his afloat surfboard.

"What is it?" Serena inquired as soon as she resurfaced.

"I...I saw a Milotic," Ash answered, breathing heavily.

"A Milotic?"

"Yeah," Ash nodded. "It passed right beneath me but it's nowhere around now."

"Are you sure?" When Ash glanced at her with confusion, Serena continued. "I was there for a while. I didn't see one..."

"You're kidding..." Ash scoffed but when Serena didn't even budge, his expression was replaced to the one of disbelief. "...no way that's true."

"It is..." Serena responded in a soft voice.

Ash sighed as he crossed his arms atop the board, placing his chin over them as he cursed his luck. A Pokémon so beautiful that one would swoon over it for eternity but so rare it's almost impossible to find one. He had never seen one in person before and he missed such a chance, but if what Serena said was true then was he imagining things? He was certain he saw something down in the water after all—

"No way..." Ash felt his eyes widening when the realisation struck him.

He glanced at Serena, who was tying her hair in a bun and took a brief look at her swimsuit. It was red coloured two-piece with a shade of pink highlighting it. The bottom was a small skirt with a pink ribbon in the middle. The idea was bizarre to him but upon a closer inspection—

 _Did I really mistake her for a Milotic?_

"Damn you, Gary," Ash murmured as he buried his face in his arms and right at the time when Serena looked up at him.

"Hey, Ash..."

The raven-haired boy felt his face heating up at her voice as she closed in. She crossed her arms over the board and placed her chin atop them. When Ash glanced up at her slightly, she tilted her head and smiled.

"...want to see something amazing?"

The previous thought was nearly thrown out of his mind upon her sudden change of subject. He gave her a perplexed look and the honey-haired girl simply beckoned him with her finger to follow her. Albeit reluctant, he was too curious to protest and despite wondering why he was even doing it, he found himself taking a deep breath and following her underwater, leaving the board behind.

Once underwater, Ash glanced around to find the honey-haired girl. He found her swimming downwards when he glanced beneath him, her slender legs peddling her forward. He followed her down and caught up with her soon enough.

When Serena glanced at him from the corner of her eye, Ash gave her a puzzled look, inquiring her, but she merely smiled and continued forward. Ash was surprised for a moment when she took a sudden lead from him.

Was she always such a good swimmer? Ash couldn't help but wonder as he continued after her. When he closed into her again, she turned to look at him and pointed her left hand down. Ash followed the direction and his eyes widened at the sight.

With the dim sunlight peering through the layers of water, the underwater flora glimmered beautifully. Nestled among the rocks and corals, Ash saw a Cloyster peering towards him. Without thinking once, he swam towards it.

Alert, Serena tried to warn him but Ash was already out of her reach. She followed him in an attempt to stop him but was too late as she witnessed the Cloyster glaring at the raven-haired boy before almost firing the projectile spikes at him.

Ash had to move back and he ended up crashing into Serena. When he felt her hands on his shoulders, he looked back up at her. Uneasiness present in her eyes almost alerted him but he found himself flushing when she started laughing.

Ash averted his eyes, cursing himself for carelessly approaching the undersea Pokémon. His eyes crunched down in the awareness that he was running out of breath and quickly swam upwards. Once out of the water, he breathed heavily and glanced up at the sky as he waited for a moment for the honey-haired girl to resurface.

She never showed up.

Somewhat concerned, Ash once again dove in, looking for the honey-haired girl. His heart almost stopped beating when he couldn't find her anywhere. He looked around for her desperately, his body shaking, and almost cried her name in the water when suddenly he felt a pair of hands on his shoulders.

Ash almost jumped and turned around, only to find Serena behind him. The wide smile on her face showed her amusement and Ash scoffed to himself. Though, before he could show his annoyance, Serena grabbed his hand and led him deeper into the ocean, towards the coral reef.

Ash couldn't bring himself to complain anymore once he looked around himself, his eyes widening and mouth opening agape at the sight. Briefly, he turned around and looked at Serena, who had her arms crossed behind her. She merely smiled at him.

Ash bit his bottom lip as he averted his gaze, feeling his face heating up as he tried not to heave a breath in. His chest burned and his body shivered but he couldn't bring himself to stay calm. His train of thoughts was derailed only when he felt Serena touching his shoulder.

Serena pointed her hand forward and Ash, albeit dazzled, followed the direction. He saw what appeared to be a nest in the reef. Curious, he moved his hand forward but the reminder of his encounter with that Cloyster not too long ago prevented him from touching it, and he made the right choice, too because not another moment had passed when the two found themselves surrounded by the school of several thin, heart-shaped Pokémon.

Cautiously, he began to move away but found himself being pushed back by them further until his back touched something warm. He let out a surprised gasp, water bubbles spurting out from his mouth as he turned around, only to find Serena behind him. When her eyes widened, Ash was alerted. He turned around in time to see one of the Luvdisc right in front of him, so close that he struggled to even stay still.

The two were completely surrounded.

Ash brainstormed for an idea to get away from this cute looking school of probably mad Pokémon, but his mind stopped thinking when he felt Serena pressing herself on his back.

The raven-haired boy felt his heart skipping a beat as he felt the warmth of her body pressing against his. His eyes widened as she gripped his hand firmly, her chest pressing on his back more and more. His own body started heating beyond his control, bringing out a familiar feeling that dreaded so much. He would have panicked violently, was his mind not preoccupied already, but before he could do something undeniably stupid, underwater, in fact, he felt something soft touching his palm.

Ash observed closely and realised that it was Luvdisc, strangely soft, snuggling against his hand. Or so he thought. It took him a moment to realise it but it was Serena who was making him stroke his hand against the water Pokémon softly. To his surprise, more of them neared them. He was still baffled that they weren't attacking them in the first place so when all of them swam over the two, he nearly lost his cool.

Ash found himself struggling to free and as soon as he saw an opening, he reached out for Serena. To his surprise, not only her hand was in his hand but a bunch of Luvdiscs started circling around their arms. He felt Serena brushing against him lightly, leaning closer every moment as Luvdisc continued to push her back, until the point the two were arm in arm. At this point, Ash had realised these Pokémon did not mean any harm to the two but their behaviour continued to confuse him. He tried to show the uncomfortable feeling welling inside him, but when he looked at Serena, to his surprise, she was smiling widely.

Serena was contented, indeed because even he could feel her amusement radiating through him. She appeared to know what these Pokémon were doing and he made a mental note to ask her later.

His eyes suddenly caught something moving towards them in distance. He observed closely and soon find two scuba divers coming their way. When two glanced at him and Serena, they stopped briefly and glanced at each other. He couldn't see their expressions too well but concluded that they were more keen on photographing the underwater beauty instead of caring for them.

The school of Luvdisc continued to snuggle around them, mainly Serena, and to the point, she was struggling to hold off her laughter. Ash felt her pressing tightly against his arms, feeling the fabric of the top of her two-piece as she snuggled his arm into her breasts, relying on him as she tried to hold off. His first thought could have been to shake her off, but his mind was too busy to process the arrival of two scuba divers, one pointing zir camera towards them, and the situation he was himself in as Serena practically clung onto him intimately.

All he remembered at that moment was a scuba diver taking their photo, along with the school of Luvdisc, and Serena's smile that wouldn't fade. Although his brain finally declared the situation to be too hectic for him to even understand properly, in the end, he came to a resolution that maybe, _maybe_ ,it wasn't that bad.

He could get used to it if he tried.

 _It's not like Gary is around to mess with me, right?_

* * *

Evening fell upon the island quickly that day but the liveliness of the crowd continued to rise. Ash couldn't have been more surprised; he thought pretty much everyone on the island was present there at that moment. Then again, he should have expected it. It was the night of the grand festival that he had heard so much about.

Walking through the street, Ash glanced sidewise at the several stalls, his hands in the pockets of his short. His hair ruffled as a breeze gushed by and he heard Pikachu sighing in contemplation. He barely glanced at the electric Pokémon and found him staring at a food stall.

"You want that?" Ash inquired. Pikachu's ears perked up at those words and he glanced back at the raven-haired boy with a sheepish smile.

"Pikachu!" the electric mouse cried in agreement.

Ash walked to the stall and glanced down. The aroma of the freshly fried vegetables filled his nostrils. Pikachu hopped down at the counter, his eyes glimmering as he inhaled the delicious smell.

Noticing Pikachu's mouth watering at the sight, the middle-aged man working in the stall couldn't help but smile.

"Want some?" the man asked as he continued to fry the vegetables in a large wok.

Before Ash could even speak, Pikachu turned around and glanced at him with glimmering eyes. He rushed to Ash's side and grabbed his shirt, pleading him.

"Make it two." Ash chuckled.

The man beamed at the response and quickly skewed a handful of freshly fried vegetables with a skewer. "One for you," he murmured as he handed one to Ash, and then turned to Pikachu. "And here's one for yo—"

"Can you put some ketchup on it?" Ash interjected.

The man blinked at those words but obliged nonetheless. When he handed it over to Pikachu, the expression on the electric Pokémon's face was truly priceless. He couldn't hold back his laughter.

"It's amazing!" Ash exclaimed at the taste as he looked up at the man. "Give me a couple more," he added. The man smiled and prepared a couple of more skewed vegetables for Ash.

"Thanks a bunch!" Ash said with a mouthful as he paid the man. Pikachu quickly hopped on Ash's shoulders, intimately licking the ketchup while Ash chuckled at the scene.

"Now what should we do next?" Ash murmured, tossing one of the skewers in the nearby dustbin before moving to the next one. He handed one to Pikachu upon his request, who had climbed upon his head.

"...no way!"

A familiar voice filled the air, a voice that Ash could easily identify even in such a noisy crowd. Pikachu's ears perked up as he glanced in the direction of the voice.

"Pika Pi!" he exclaimed.

Ash turned into the said direction as well and as he had suspected, he saw Serena. The honey-haired girl was leaning over a stall, her eyes wide and mouth agape. Ash could tell she was amused, or impressed, to be precise, but what for, he couldn't tell. Mindlessly, he walked in her direction.

"I can build, fix and rebuild anything, lass. Whatever you name!" a loud voice boomed in response. "I architected a lot of buildings in my youth. Strong foundation but cool designs. I even started my own architect firm, ya know?"

"Really...?" Serena mused.

"She seems interested," Ash murmured to himself as he stood a few meters away from her. He glanced at the man speaking to her. He was old but age doesn't seem to have any effect on his health yet. His hair was light brown; a few strands of white were hair visible but mostly, his appearance still promised a lot of sturdiness.

"Aye, lass." The man nodded. "We have our own business. Now my son leads it, though." He placed his hands on the stall as he sat down on the chair again, sighing. "Ya' know what? It has always been my dream to build, and this is what I do the best. But now I'm getting old..."

Serena seemed to react to those words, her amusement fading as a hint of sadness flashed on her face.

"...I moved to inside work later with the help of my wife. Interior decorations and even furnishing," the man said. "Building has always been my passion, I can't stay away from it for too long, ya know?"

"So...if you were to work on a deserted house, would you be able to fix it?"

"That depends." The man chuckled loudly. "But mostly, aye! I can. But if you don't mind me asking, why is a little girl like you so keen to get my service?"

"Well, uh..." Serena sighed, her feet shuffling. Not only did she struggle for words, her face flushed with embarrassment. What was it all about? Ash couldn't help but wonder, observing her from distance.

"You see...it's kind of complicated to explain," Serena sighed, trying to regain her composure. The man, however, was keen to listen to her. "It's a really long story..."

"I have time!" The man beamed immediately, before realising how pushy he seemed. He added with a gentle voice and a sheepish smile, "If you don't mind, that is."

"It's...um, back in the Pallet Town I—"

"Oh, here you are!" A familiar voice rang in the air. Serena turned to the voice and found Gary walking towards her. She observed him looking past her. "Didn't know you two were together since morning."

"Two...?" Serena murmured before turning around. Her breathing ceased when she saw Ash standing there, barely a few meters away, his gaze firmly affixed on her.

Ash continued to stare at her, their eyes fixed on each other. He noticed the uneasiness welling inside her as she finally processed that he was there. A sense of vulnerability grappled her as she clasped her hands together behind her.

When a breeze gushed by, he saw her hair swaying across her face. Serena used her right-hand to tuck the strands of her hair behind her ear while covering the skirt of her blue sun-dress with her left hand. His heart ached at that moment, a strange feeling grasping him again. His mouth opened slightly, his eyes widening slowly and it wasn't until then that he finally decided to take his gaze off her.

Bemused, all he could do was stare at his feet, barely whispering to himself, "What am I even...?"

"Okay, now, stop making it awkward," Gary chimed in, walking between the two. "I told Dawn to meet me at the Palapa near the beach."

"Palapa?" Ash wondered, recalling the word from his time back at the hotel.

After spending their time underwater exploring the corals, Ash and Serena couldn't find Gary and Dawn. They had returned to their hotel where he was told at the reception that Gary asked them to meet at the beach resort—the said Palapa—later that evening where the festival was to be celebrated.

The brunette had gone ahead to plan their tour next day with Dawn, or so Ash thought and upon realising that he was left alone with the honey-haired girl, he as well left her alone and walked away, touring the island with Pikachu since then.

What a coincidence running into both here, Ash couldn't help but wonder.

"There's a lot you two need to know!" Gary exclaimed as he walked to the raven-haired boy. "Hurry up!"

He grabbed Ash by his arm and dragged him along. Serena stared at the two for a brief moment before realising she was supposed to follow them. She turned around to face the man at the stall.

"Would you mind if we continue this another time?" she asked.

"Not at all, lass!" the old man laughed. "I'd be happy to hear you out. Come back anytime!"

"Thank you so much!" Serena bowed gratefully to him, waving at him as she followed the two teens from Pallet Town.

* * *

"Where did he disappear now?" Ash couldn't help but murmur to himself upon finding himself alone with Dawn and Serena.

After dragging him to the said _Palapa_ , that turned out to be pretty well refined and strangely exotic place in its own right, Gary disappeared, leaving him alone with the two girls. To his relief, he wasn't bothered yet but to his utmost surprise, Serena didn't nag him at all.

The first thing on his mind was that she was likely upset because he had left her alone earlier that day, but he could care less about that. Her silence towards him was more forceful than she could bear and he couldn't help but notice her uneasiness. She was avoiding him.

"...but why?" he unconsciously murmured. He didn't realise it until Pikachu responded to his words and looked up at him from his lap.

"It's nothing..." Ash forced a smile.

He knew Pikachu didn't buy it but going through this on the daily basis, the electric mouse knew when to not push him further. At least he was being more open today, and he appreciated that Pikachu understood him. Nonetheless, he continued to worry for his trainer of an old friend.

"To think that he would take so much time..."

Ash heard Gary's voice in the crowd and turned in the direction. He saw the brunette walking towards them with annoyance, barely keeping the envelope safe in his hand.

"You finally got them?" Dawn questioned upon noticing the brunette. When she spotted the envelope in his hand, her eyes widened with great delight.

"I'm never going back there," Gary murmured as he dropped on the empty chair between Ash and Dawn. He breathed in slowly before he finally turned to others and began opening the envelope.

"The photos I told you about!" Dawn exclaimed gleefully as she turned to Serena. "You'll love it!"

"What's this all about?" Curious, Ash leaned on the table as well. Pikachu hopped onto the table from his lap as well.

Gary didn't respond with words but laid the photos on the spacious table, a proud smile making its way on his face as he witnessed Ash's eyes widening with shock.

"You two went scuba diving?!" Ash could hardly hold back his surprise at the images of underwater Pokémon. "And you didn't even tell me!" His eyes nearly teared up as he glared at the brunette.

"Weren't you having fun though?" Gary scoffed as he collected all the photos from the table and even snatching the rest from Dawn's hand, who retorted angrily. He ignored her and began shuffling the photos like a deck of cards. He watched intently as Ash's expression changed to the one of confusion and one by one, started placing the photos on the table.

"I wanted to invite you two, but..." He emphasised the last word with a brief but noticeable pause as he placed another photo on the table. All of them had beautifully taken pictures of the underwater flora and fauna in their all glory.

"...it looked like you were rather busy—" Gary placed another image. It was a Gyarados, roaring loudly. "—pulling each other in water—" He placed another photo, a Tentacruel this time. "—and having your secret little underwater rendezvous."

As he placed the next photo on the table, a school of Corsola resting over corals, he made sure to take a look at Ash's expression; the raven-haired boy's mouth opened agape slightly. He was speechless —Gary concluded and then looked at Serena, who looked rather apprehensive at those words as well.

Dawn kicked the brunette under the table, a gesture he clearly understood. He wanted to scream in pain but held it in. At this point, he had already come too far to stop. No way in the world would he let Dawn win this time!

"Besides..."

Gary sighed longingly, enjoying the pain on his companions' faces as they inaudibly wailed for him to end the suspense. He finally placed another photo on the table, slowly pulling his hand from over it. The more he revealed, the wider his lips stretched.

"...do you think I would get such a golden chance to capture this with you tagging along?"

Ash's eye widened and his jaw would have dropped to the floor if it was possible when he finally looked at the photo. At first, he couldn't comprehend anything, but more he thought about it, the clearer it became and he no longer thought Gary capturing him with Serena, arm in arm under the water, in the camera was an impossible feat.

But was it supposed to be anything special?

He didn't need to answer because he soon found Serena covering her mouth with her hands, her face flushing red.

There was more to the situation than simply enjoying their time and as Gary continued to place more photos, Ash started noticing that indeed, he looked rather happy to be with Serena.

To her though, it was nothing less than horror and as Gary placed down the final photo atop the table, she nearly screamed, burying her flushing red face in her hands.

In the heat of the moment, she never realised how close and open she was to Ash back then, intimately pressing against him in ways she wouldn't imagine doing it.

Gary couldn't be happier at that moment though when he finally got to see Ash flush with embarrassment, curling his hands tightly into fists and gritting his teeth. He heard Dawn sighing wearily and expected to get an earful from her later, but it was definitely worth it!

 _Now for the final push—_

Gary leaned over Ash, throwing his arm over the raven-haired boy's shoulder as he neared his ear. His smirk widened as he began to speak. "They say any couple meeting this Pokémon is promised a loving relationship that never ends...and you met a school of them—"

Gary had seen it coming already, so when Ash lunge at him wildly, he was quick to move out of the way but he never anticipated falling on the floor with Ash next to him.

"Damn you, bastard..." Ash cursed under his breath and Gary clearly heard him because the very next moment, he got up and dashed away as the raven-haired boy chased after him in a frenzied rage.

Dawn barely stared at the two wrecking havoc before they disappeared and finally turned to look at the honey-haired girl who refused to even look up. She glanced back at the images and collected them.

If she had to be honest with herself, the two definitely looked like a cute couple together. Unfortunately for her though, she didn't realise she unconsciously spoke those words out loud.

* * *

Under the sheer night, there was a young boy walking on an empty road. Lamps shimmered over him as a breeze gushed by; the hood covering his face remained intact, but the boy pressed himself together in the cold air.

His eyes soon spotted glimmering lights in front of him, beyond the cliff ahead of him. He continued to walk there, observing a man standing there against the railings. As he neared him, he realised, the man was facing him. Wordlessly, he stepped next to him and crossed his arms on the railings.

The view from the vantage point looked absolutely beautiful.

"You made it, huh?" the man spoke in a soft voice.

The young boy hummed. "There was an ambush...things got a bit heavy when we accidentally angered a wild Tyranitar—"

"You did what?" the man asked in a surprised voice, chuckling a little at the end. "A Tyranitar?"

The boy hummed again. He sighed and extended his arms up wide, letting his hood fall and revealed the back ends of the pair of swords hanging on his back, or what remained of them. "So what now?"

"What now indeed..." the man murmured and turned around, staring down at the city in front of them. The iconic Prism Tower stood in all its glory, the streets surrounding it beautifully decorated with the street lamps.

"So you wanna go to the beach?"

"What?" the boy looked at the man, blinking.

"The beach," the man repeated. "Do you wanna go there?"

"I wouldn't mind, but—" The boy shook his head.

"But?"

"Why are you asking this? What are you up to this time?"

"The usual," the man chuckled. "What else there is to it?"

"Alright then."

The man breathed in longingly as another breeze blew by, his long hair swaying back and forth. His hand reached out for the necklace around his neck, his fingers fiddling with it as he stared at it. The boy observed him from the corner of his eye but didn't dare speak. The man seemed to have some sort of infatuation with that necklace, or so he had concluded with their numerous encounters.

"So..." the man suddenly spoke, his hand reaching out for the boy. There was a photograph in his hand that the boy took, glancing down at it as the man continued, "She's your target. And I presume she should be somewhere on the Orange Archipelago. Find her, and she'll lead you to your next objective."

"Okay..." the boy said in a cool voice, but uncertainty remained in his voice as he glanced at the girl. "...but she's so young."

"So are you, boy," the man said. The boy breathed in sharply, wondering what the girl would have in store for him if this man had outright compared her to him. He didn't question much afterwards but continued to glance at the honey-haired girl.

"So Orange Archipelago, huh." The boy stood in silence for a new few minutes, pondering over the details he was just given. Granted he was part of it, but the man had refused to let him in all the way. If anything, he had to figure out everything by himself. And right now, he was curious about this girl the most.

"So who's she?" he couldn't help but ask.

The man stood in silence, his hands clasped together and fingers twiddling with each other. The boy glanced at him as another breeze blew by and the man finally sighed, a small playful smile making its way to his face before he finally answered.

"Word is...she's the daughter of Wilson."

* * *

"God forbid should I find him..." Ash murmured threateningly, cracking his fist as he walked on the outskirt of the island.

Since he started chasing Gary, he had come quite far away from the resort. He had been so mindlessly that he never realised when he entered a forest and it wasn't until he lost the sight of the brunette that he realised where he truly was. He didn't care nonetheless because he had been still looking for the brunette instead of finding a way out but after cluelessly walking in the forest for easily over half an hour, he started to have a second thought about the situation.

"Where exactly am I?" the raven-haired boy wondered, looking around in a circle. Trees surrounded him from everywhere and he could barely look up at the sky above him. At least stars were there but he didn't know how to read them. How could they guide him out?

"Oh boy...how do I get out from here now?" he voiced his worry.

The first thought in his mind was to keep walking. He remembered Maren had told them this island was surrounded by beaches—one way or another he could easily find a way back to the track. Unfortunately, the island was so big, if by chance he ended up on the wrong side he would have to walk back all the way to the population.

"...what a waste." Ash sighed, leaning back on a tree as he stared up in the sky. "I shouldn't have gone after him."

Thinking with a calm mind, he realised, indeed it was a foolish choice to let Gary get on his nerves but was he truly at the fault to react that way? Wouldn't other do the same? Serena was embarrassed, too!

But that was as far as he could reason with himself and in the end, he still held the brunette responsible for his current predicament. Always getting on his nerve and trying to make a fool out of him—if the two of them were not best friends, he would have gone wild a long time ago.

Ash sighed once again, closing his eyes and pondering over his helplessness. Even Pikachu wasn't with him. "...what should I do now?"

A soothing wind began blowing in the forest, slowly but surely making its way to the raven-haired boy. The leaves on the trees rustled together, a quiet melody ringing in the woods. For a moment, Ash found himself losing in another world; quite a beauty it was, per se.

It wasn't until he felt something rubbing against his feet that his trance broke. Ash stepped back and looked down only to find a young, wild Caterpie nuzzling against him. Unfortunately, his startling movements alerted zie and, terrified, zie quickly crawled away. Before Ash could comprehend anything, the Caterpie was long gone.

Ash clicked his tongue, cursing his luck when he observed something. The melody was still ringing in his ear, soothing and beckoning him forward. He felt apprehensive but any awareness was thrown out of his mind the moment he let it take over him. Before he knew, he was walking on an unfamiliar path, his only motive was to find the source of the music.

What was it—he asked in his mind—what could be so terrifyingly soothing that he couldn't resist?

Before he knew, he was running through the woods, his hands removing any obstacles coming in his way. As his arms breached through several bushes, thrones began bruising him. Ash hardly paid any heed to the stinging pain and slithering blood. He didn't even care to look at the flames that abruptly ignited on his bruises. His wounds closed on their own and the clotted blood evaporated, leaving no trace of any injury.

Faster and faster he ran, finding himself unable to resist the melody. The sound of waves crashing ashore told him how close he was to the ocean. He couldn't stop. He didn't want to stop. And he wouldn't have stopped...had his eyes not spotted her.

At the edge of the forest, he found himself standing next to a tree. He placed his hand on the trunk, listening to the sound of waves crashing against the rocks just ahead of him but his eyes refused to look away from her. The blue sun-dress, her long honey hair, there was no mistaking it; it _was_ Serena.

His feet moved unconsciously, leading him down the boulders one step at a time. His eyes remained affix on her, from taking in the outline of her figure to observing the movements of her long hair. Her knee-length skirt undulated to the flow of the breeze, up to her thighs while her hair swayed over her shoulder and across her face.

Ash found himself holding his arm that she had clung onto earlier that day, reminiscing the time he spent with her. He remembered the soft touch of her smooth skin, the palpable sense of joy she made him feel.

A tingly sensation gushed through his legs and he found himself lowering down. Sitting atop the last boulder, he pondered more over her, feeling that familiar sensation returning to him.

For a brief moment, he wondered, what she was even doing here at this hour. He completely disregarded the fact that he was right next to the very beach they had visited earlier today, that he wanted to go back, that the melody he has been chasing was coming from the ocean right in front of him.

All he remembered was staring at the honey-haired girl in front of him, as her finger tucked the hair behind her ear, and even though an unpleased, or rather a sombre expression shrouded her features, the moment he looked at her, his heart raced wildly. His hand clutched his arm tightly as he breathed in sharply, his eyes opening wide and mouth opening agape. He tried all he could, looked into every cranny of his mind as he searched for a specific memory but found none. He didn't care if this unfamiliar sensation washing over him could overwhelm him any moment, or that he still didn't know why he was feeling this way because his mind was too occupied wondering just how someone could be so pretty.

A huge wave washed ashore, breaking Ash's trance. He glanced, as the water washed past the honey-haired girl's feet before retreating back into the ocean, towards a small whirlpool that appeared out of nowhere. Ash could have questioned it had his eyes not spotted something magnificent, something truly terrifying, too.

The pair of blue eyes shining underwater glanced at him merely for a moment, their eyes locked, before zie moved away. Another wave washed ashore as Ash witnessed a giant body turning around and leaving. He couldn't figure out what truly it was— _a dragon, a bird, or something else entierly_?—but he ended up realising that zie was the source of that beautiful melody that began fading away as zie, that zie was what Serena truly looking at.

"Serena...?"

As his consciousness began returning to him slowly, Ash turned to look at Serena. A sense of amazement surged inside him at the placid expression of the honey-haired girl, yet he couldn't shake off the disturbance wrecking him due to what he just saw.

Should he confront her, he wondered in his mind but then had a second thought about it. What would he tell her though, that he was spying on her? Come to think of it, he still didn't know why she was here, to begin with. Wasn't she supposed to be at the resort with Dawn? Did something happen?

As his mind continued to inquire, his eyes widened when he saw her collapsing suddenly. Lifelessly, she laid there at the beach, waves washing over her body one after another.

His mind went blank. He lost all his senses of reasoning. The next thing he knew, he was running on the beach as fast as he could. By the time, he reached her, his feet stumbled and he fell on his knees, next to her. He glanced at her, his eyes widening with horror at her lifeless state.

His hands wavered as he moved to her, feeling reluctant and at a loss.

"S-Serena…" he murmured, loud enough for her to hear. He hoped for a response but got none, the feeling of dread intensifying inside him. Still hesitant, he touched her shoulders, shaking her.

"Serena. Serena."

He shook her but his efforts were in vain. He grabbed her shoulder, feeling her skin through her wet dress as he shook her violently. She never responded. He was growing bewildered, scared, too. With shaking hands, he checked her pulse. His hand moved over to her face, carefully moving the strand of her wet hair to the side before checking her breath.

He couldn't have felt better when he realised everything was normal. A huge wave of relief washed over him, yet he couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling inside him. He continued to shake her, call her out loud, but she never opened her eyes as if she had fallen into an eternal slumber.

When that thought rushed across his mind, he shivered inwardly. "Just...just what happened to you?!" he couldn't help but cry aloud, fearfully working his arms around her body as he tried to carry her.

"Now out of all the times...?" Ash murmured under his breath as he walked with her motionless body in his arms. He glanced down at her again; her head and arms were loosely hanging, swaying back and forth with his every movement.

Ash tried to ignore her but ended up sighing in defeat. He adjusted his arms around her, pulled her up and closer until her arms were over her chest and her head resting on his shoulder. Her body seemed to stir for a moment and Ash stopped moving, glancing down at her again.

She was snoring softly, her chest heaving in and out slowly. Her wet clothes began sticking closely to her body and Ash felt her skin through her clothes. He remained inert, feeling the familiar heat gushing through his body. His arm grew warmer, so did his face and by the time he regained the strength to move, he could no longer bring himself to face the honey-haired girl.

Silently, he began walking again while trying to keep his eyes affix forward but stealing a glance at her once in a while. He couldn't help but murmur something under his breath.

"...as if giving me a heart attack once wasn't enough for you?"

* * *

 **I'm undeniably frustrated with myself because of my inability to write the entire chapter the way I ended it. The ending was possibly the best part I wrote** — **what happened to me when I was writing the rest? Other than that, i** **t certainly has been a while since I wrote a chapter nearly 10k words long so...what do you think?**

 **Also...I decided to do something new this time. Instead of using _it_ and _they_ , I will be now using gender-neutral pronouns _zir_ , _zie_ , _zirs_ , _zirself_. However, I decided to use them after I was halfway done with the chapter so chances are I might have missed a couple of them here and there. Would you guy mind pointing them out if you find the errors? I would grateful! Besides, I have to go back and fix it all up in the previous seventeen chapters as well so...Oh and also, if possible, keep an eye out for those errors with "-" and "** —". **FanFiction seems to love changing the latter back to the former.**

 **Oh, oh! Your boy here took a personality test yesterday and turned out he's INTP-T type! And despite having the rarest personality type on this planet, I'm whining about the fact that I degraded myself from a full-time extrovert into this 50-50 situation? Why am I halfway introvert and halfway extrovert again?**

 **Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed the beginning of this brand new arc. With this, I also got a set of character banners and a new cover for this story. If you would like to them check out, head over to my Wattpad profile! Make sure you leave a review here, too! I will see you next time...whenever that would be(hopefully sooner than usual)!**


	20. Chapter 19

The morning sunlight peered through the curtains in the hotel room, on the honey-haired girl who was snoring softly on the bed. She stirred when her eyes burned slightly and let out an unpleased moan, trying to cover her face with her arms. She turned around on the bed instead, feeling the warmth from the silky blanket covering her.

As her consciousness attempted to wake her up, she felt the softness of the bed underneath her. She felt relaxed and sleepy, and she would have walked into the dreamland again had her mind not recall that this wasn't where she was supposed to be.

Her eyes opened slowly as she yawned, stretching her arms wide up in the air. The blanket covering her fell over her lower chest as she breathed in sharply, enjoying the refreshing feeling gushing through her.

When was the last time she got to sleep so peacefully without her mother's Fletchling brutally waking her up?

As her mind began relaxing and eyes adjusted to the light, she once again felt puzzled. She wasn't familiar with this territory yet, neither did she remember coming back here since she left to tour the island yesterday. Then—

"...why am I here in the bed?" her soft words whispered in the room as her mind tried to reminiscence the events from the night before.

"Oh, you finally woke up?" Dawn's cheerful voice rang in the room. Serena turned in her direction and found the blunette combing her long blue hair while she glanced at her.

Dawn observed Serena as she finally sat up on the bed, her hair falling down to her shoulders. She didn't appear drowsy anymore but her eyes remained heavy. She appeared perplexed but was unable to voice her uncertainty as she glanced down at her lap. Before she could even let any sound, Dawn beat her to it.

"You collapsed on the beach last night."

Serena opened her mouth to say something but upon hearing those words, found herself unable to speak anymore. Her mind rushed as she recalled that memory.

 _Beach—?_

She remembered. Shortly after boys disappeared from their sight, she had excused herself to take a walk. Her first thought was to visit the old man at that stall, but her mind was already a complete mess to think properly. She ended up taking a stroll and in the end, found herself on the beach.

There was something serene about the ocean that night, something strangely irresistible. She walked to the beach, feet naked as she let the waves wash ashore and wet her feet. The water was still rather warm but the air was cool. There was a strange but beautiful melody ringing in the air that night, and as she reminisced her day, she didn't realise when she ended up losing her consciousness. She didn't know what it was _—_ _a dragon or maybe a giant underwater bird?_ _—_ but the last thing she remembered watching was a pair of eyes glowing underneath the water, glancing at her through a whirlpool and after that-

"What happened after that?" the honey-haired girl murmured to herself. She didn't know if Dawn heard her or not, but the blunette paused temporarily and glanced at her with worry.

"How are you feeling now?" Dawn inquired.

Serena glanced up at her, opening her mouth, but couldn't bring herself to answer her. Instead, she inquired back, "How did I get here?"

"Well..." Dawn sighed, leaning back and glancing at the ceiling. "...Ash found you unconscious on the beach and carried you over here."

Serena breathed in heavily, her hands clasping the blanket tightly. "He did?" she whispered.

"Mhm." Dawn hummed, then smiled. "He was kind of scared, I think. He might be hiding something for all I know," she giggled in a suggestive tone as she glanced back at her. "I haven't seen him like that in a while..."

"In a while..." Serena found herself repeating after the bluenette, who didn't seem to notice. While Serena wondered what those words could mean, the blunette changed the subject immediately.

"Well anyways," she began, "we still have at most an hour before we go see Maren. You still have the time to get ready!"

"Maren..." Serena murmured in a tired voice before she once again realised why they were here in the first place.

Her mind remained slightly hazy but she remembered that they needed to visit a bunch of excavation sites at nearby islands. Maren was their guide for this tour. When she thought about it, she couldn't help but wonder how easily they managed to get their passes to visit those sites. Having Professor Oak as their close acquaintance was more fruitful than she could have imagined.

Serena smiled to herself as she continued to think about it, and finally got up her bed to prepare for the long day ahead of her.

* * *

"Come on, now, don't be a sore loser—"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ash interjected the brunette with a glare. "And I told you not to bother me about it."

"What the hell is the problem with you?" Gary demanded, his voice rising as he slammed his hands down on the table. "It's a tag battle tournament!"

"And I said I'm not interested!" Ash argued back. "I don't want to participate, okay? Why don't you pick anyone else? There are a lot of good trainers in our school!"

"Ugh!" Gary groaned. "You...You're just hopeless! Why don't you understand?"

"Understand what?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Gary exclaimed. "We're the one hosting the whole tournament this year—we have to take those trophies back home!"

"Who made you our school prefect again?"

"This is getting over my head now..." Gary grumbled under his breath. Crossing his arms over his chest, he glanced down at the Pokémon staring back and forth between them with an uncertain expression. "Pikachu, at least you understand, right?! Tell your stupid trainer to listen to me for once. Please!"

When Gary clasped his hands together, pleading, the electric Pokémon found himself in a dilemma. He didn't want to deny Gary at this point but convincing his trainer was harder than the brunette could imagine.

"I will give you half a dozen ketchup if you convinced him!" Gary proposed.

"Whaa—?!" Ash's mouth opened agape in shock when he saw Pikachu drooling at the given offer. "Hey, that's unfair! Pikachu, you can't do this to me!"

Guilt flashed on his face for a moment when Pikachu heard Ash and glanced back at the brunette with disappointment in his eyes.

"Two dozen ketchup bottles! Hell, I will give you a couple of them every day for the rest of my life if you listen to me!"

"Heh, he won't fall for it," Ash grumbled with a confident smirk, his arms crossing over his chest. "Right, Pikachu? Pikachu?"

There was a startling silence after that as Ash and Gary stared at Pikachu, whose eyes seemed blank. When the realisation struck the two, the brunette began smirking while the raven-haired boy began panicking.

"Whose side are you on, Pikachu?!"

"What's with the commotion?" Dawn's voice interjected. Gary looked up in her direction and saw her coming down the stairs from her room.

"Heh," Gary smirked, crossing his arms over his chest as he gazed down at the raven-haired boy who had a defeated look on his face. "Ashy-boy got ditched the first thing in the morning."

"Wha—?"

"Stop mumbling nonsense." Ash glared at the brunette from the corner of his eye, only to find him smirking wider than before. "Smartypants," Ash whispered under his breath, not acknowledging the consoling Pikachu was trying to give him.

"Well, anyways..." Gary looked up and glanced at the blunette. He titled his head sidewise, observing her. "...ponytail?"

"What about it?" Dawn mused, tucking the bang of her hair behind her ear. "You won't understand the hassle of handling long hair at this temperature."

"Yeah, right." Gary sighed, placing his hands on his hips. "It's almost time. Where is Serena?"

"Uh, she's..." Dawn paused and glanced behind her and towards the videophones. "...she's calling her mother."

"Her mother, huh?" Gary whispered. "I hope she won't take much time," he added and crossed his arms behind his head.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Gary smiled at Dawn's words and turned around. "Nothing, really," he said and began to walk away. "Bring her along, Ashy-boy. I'll be waiting outside."

"H-Hey. Wait for me!" Dawn rushed after him. "You still didn't answer me!"

"...I told you it was nothing."

That was last of him Ash heard before the doors closed behind the brunette. Ash sighed and turned to look at Serena whose back was facing him. She seemed rather annoyed, he deduced from her voice, but as her hand continued to fiddle with the strap of the bag hanging on her back, her honey-haired ponytail bouncing every so often as she shook her head, he realised she was somewhat flustered, too.

"Talking to her mother, huh?" Ash murmured, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned back on a wall. He felt the electric Pokémon perching up his shoulder in an attempt to apologise to him, but he disregarded him. Moreover, he felt his burrows narrowing down at the memory.

"Don't talk to me," Ash murmured under his breath, making sure his words reached the electric Pokémon. "What kind of friend are you when you'll turn on me for ketchup?"

"Pika...chu," the electric Pokémon muttered, his ears lowering down. "Pika-Pikachu!"

"What do you mean you won't do it again? You do it all the time!" Ash argued. "I don't trust you!" He shrugged Pikachu off his shoulder.

The electric Pokémon landed on the floor and looked up at his trainer. "Pikachu! Pika Pikachu!"

He tried his best to convince Ash to believe otherwise but the raven-haired boy didn't seem to budge. Then again, he couldn't blame him. Gary had tempted him with ketchup on more than one occasions and he had given in every single time.

"Not this time!" Ash said. "I won't fall for it again!"

"Pika..." the electric Pokémon cried in defeat, his ears lowering.

Would Ash not listen to him no matter what he said? He only needed to look up at him to confirm his affirmative. In that case, the raven-haired boy didn't leave him any other choice. Electricity perked up around his body as he glanced up at the raven-haired boy with narrowed eyes.

"Pika!"

"H-Hey...that's totally unnecessary!" Ash hastily stepped back. "Do you really wanna go through this again? And right now?" When he realised that the electric Pokémon wouldn't budge anymore, he sighed in defeat, clicking his tongue in annoyance.

"F-Fine then..." Ash muttered, his arms opening wide as he glared back at Pikachu, who prepared himself to unleash his Thunderbolt. "Bring it on—"

"What are you two doing?"

Serena's voice seemingly dissipated the hostility in the air as the two looked over at her. Serena glanced at Ash, then at Pikachu and then back at Ash. The raven-haired boy was quick to avert his gaze and placed his hands in the pocket of his jacket before turning away from her.

Pikachu, on the other hand, tried not to look at the honey-haired girl who seemed to catch on their little issue. His ears softened as he glanced down at his feet, unaware as Serena stepped closer to him and leaned down in front of him. By the time Pikachu looked up, he was too late to avoid her assault as she clicked her index finger on his forehead.

"You shouldn't do that to Ash," she spoke in a stern tone. "Don't you know how much he cares about you?"

"...chu." Pikachu averted his gaze again, seemingly tearing up.

Serena sighed to herself before forcing a smile at him. She rubbed his silky forehead, running her hand through his fur. "Promise you won't bother him again, okay?"

Pikachu nodded as he barely glanced up at her. She smiled at him reassuringly before looking up, in time to notice Ash looking at her. He appeared bewildered but upon noticing her gaze, averted his gaze again as his face flushed.

"Why you..."

At that moment, he made a mental note to learn how to tame Pikachu like the honey-haired girl did right now.

Pikachu quickly rushed back to Ash's side before climbing up his shoulder. The raven-haired boy, to Serena's surprise, didn't seem to mind it at all as if the two weren't fighting a moment ago and she wondered if everything she said to the electric Pokémon mattered to either of them or not.

Somehow, she knew the answer and she didn't like it a bit.

With her eyes on Ash, she focused her attention back at him. Her hands clenched into fists and she breathed in sharply, as she tried to call him out.

"A-A—"

"Let's go," Ash began, surprising her. "Gary and Dawn are waiting outside."

 _Gary and Dawn?_ She couldn't do this in front of them! Instinctively, she called him out again, her voice squeaking out of her lips in a hurry. "Wait!"

Upon realising how loud she was, Serena found herself breathing heavily. She bit her lips as she glanced at Ash, who had stopped moving. He turned around and gave her a perplexed look.

"A-About last night..." Serena hesitated, her hands tightening further as she breathed in sharply. She couldn't bring herself to maintain the eye contact for long enough and ended up averting her gaze.

"I...I just wanted to thank you...for carr—"

"Don't mention it." Ash cut her short.

Serena looked up at him again, surprised but found herself growing wary at his gaze. He didn't appear annoyed but restless. There was a strange sensitivity in his eyes, weariness shrouding him as if he had let his guard down.

Ash, too, realised the change in his tone and breathed in sharply. He averted his gaze again, staring down at his feet. "It was...it was nothing," he said in a low, heavy voice.

The raven-haired boy turned around and began to walk, hearing the footsteps of the honey-haired girl following him sheepishly. His hand suddenly budged, a buzzing sensation rushing through his right arm. He felt tempted to hold something, to hold her hand, just like all those years ago—

Ash breathed sharply upon realising where his thoughts were leading him. His eyes softened and he sighed heavily, his mind busy reminiscing about his past. Years ago...he faintly remembered the details, but doesn't it feel the same way? Somehow?

His heart fluttered for a brief instant as he recalled holding the hand of a young girl with a straw hat, in the middle of the forest. He barely remembered holding her hand and pulling her into his arms—

"I-I..." He breathed heavily, closing his eyes for a brief moment.

Ever since last night, he was feeling this way. Since the moment he heard that melody, all his worries seem to fade away. If anything, he could only see the beauty of the world. He felt strangely refreshed even now, even though he predicted that it was the effect of that strange melody that that _thing_ was ringing ashore the beach last night.

And if it _was_ because of it, then why was he feeling so easy and comfortable, yet so restless around the honey-haired girl now?

* * *

"So...let me get this straight," Gary began, "there are four main islands totally off the gird?"

"Nay, lad!" Maren replied. "There are four islands out of which three of them are closed to any tourist or archaeologist alike."

"Because of the Legendary Bird Trio?" Ash inquired. When Maren nodded, he couldn't help but continue. "Are they really even there?"

"They live there, aye!" Maren turned to point at three islands to their left.

The group of four turned into the direction and saw three islands; at the very left was an active volcano emitting fume and surrounded by a lush green forest at one side, at some distance from the volcano, and rocks on the other side of the island; at the very right was a mountainous island with a visible chasm over it and seemingly guarded by thundering clouds over it; in the middle was a large mountain stretching far in the sky and beyond the clouds covering it, along with the fog.

"On the left is the Fire Island, on the right is the Lightning Island and in the middle, the tallest one is the Ice Island," Maren explained. "Moltres, Zapdos and Articuno reside there."

"You've got to be kidding me," Ash murmured. He turned to look up at the green-haired woman but noticed Pikachu acting odd. "What's up, buddy?" he asked, looking at him.

Pikachu wordlessly hopped down on the railings from his shoulder, his eyes affixed on a nearby island. His cheeks briefly emitted spark as he narrowed his eyes, growing hostile suddenly.

"Pikachu?" Ash murmured, eyeing his electric type friend worriedly. "Are you okay?"

He walked next to him, glancing down at him, but Pikachu refused to look up at him. Ash followed his gaze and looked at the island, too, but found nothing. "Are you sure you saw something there or—"

He paused amidst when he sensed something, a breeze suddenly hitting his face. Everything went quiet except the engine of the boat buzzing in his ears. He breathed in quietly, his hands gripping the railings tightly. He hadn't noticed it before but the dark clouds had shrouded the island in front of them, thundering wildly as if they were about to pour down all the hatred and agony over it.

An eerie feeling swept over him when Ash felt a pair of eyes observing him. When his eyes spotted it, he breathed in sharply, his mouth opening agape as he noticed something standing atop a cliff at a distance. He couldn't quite figure out what zir was, but he didn't need to be a genius to tell that zir was glancing at their direction.

"What could it b—" His eyes widened suddenly when the realisation struck him. Without looking back, he inquired the brunette. "Gary, did you bring our Pokédex by any chance?"

"No...I-I don't think so," the brunette replied, glancing at his raven-haired friend. He noticed Ash glancing at an island without blinking once, feeling apprehensive and hands clutching. "What did you notice?"

"What...Pokémon do you think that is?"

The raven-haired boy pointed his finger in zir direction. Gary observed closely, taking a minute to figure out the outline of the being glancing at them wordlessly.

"A quadruped..." Gary murmured, his hands gripping the railings tightly as his eyes narrowed. He continued to observe zir but uncertainty remained on his face. "...but I have never seen one like that before." He paused, then turned to Maren. "Do you know anything about that?"

"That..." Maren briefly glanced in zir direction, observing zir, before turning away. "...is Absol, I think."

"An Absol?" Gary looked back at her, surprised. "But I thought they are not found here."

"I believed so, too," Maren began. "Apparently, a trainer from another region happened to pass by released his Pokémon—at least that's what the stories say."

"Say, Gary, is an Absol...?"

"...a quadruped, white in colour with a horn on the forehead-yeah, that's the one." Gary nodded. "Gramp was interested in them for a while if you remember."

"I guess..." Ash murmured, crossing his arms as he turned around and leaned on the railings, his hand running through Pikachu's fur. The electric Pokémon let the affectionate gesture sooth him, but his attention did not fade away from the Pokémon still glancing at them. He remembered what an Absol looked like, but what he was looking at right now was definitely not one. At least the electricity he was emitting said otherwise.

"But it's strange—" Gary's voice interjected Pikachu's train of thoughts. "—Absol are found on steep mountainous regions. So even if it's trainer left it, I would say it was taking shelter somewhere high. And not only that, they rarely appear before people because—"

"Absol is a disaster Pokémon." Gary was interjected by the honey-haired girl. He turned to look at her along with the raven-haired boy. "When disasters are detected with zir horn, Absol comes down from the mountain to warn people." Serena looked up from the tablet in her hands. "At least that's what the Pokédex says."

"So do you really think that...?" Gary sounded ominous, his features carrying extreme worry.

"You think too much!" Dawn said, smacking Gary's back. "Everything would be fine, there's no need to worry!"

"Certainly you have never dealt with one before. They are not called Disaster Pokémon for nothing, you know?"

Serena glanced at Gary as he spoke before turning away to look at the Pokémon still staring at them intently. She walked to the edge of the boat, standing next to the raven-haired boy and clutching the railings.

"But...is that really an Absol?"

Words left her lips subconsciously and even though Ash tried to ignore, he found her words intriguing him, her tone dwelling an apprehensive feeling inside him. He looked at her from the corner of his eyes, finding her focused on the very same Pokémon of concern. He turned around and looked at zir as well.

The clouds thundering above zir gave him an ominous feeling, but it wasn't until he noticed electricity sparkling wildly that his eyes widened. He saw several Pokémon flying off the island in a rush and the air was filled with the noise of wings flapping wildly and feathers raining over it.

Before Ash could even comprehend what was happening, a lightning suddenly struck on the cliff at the island, blowing away everything in its vicinity with a loud explosion.

* * *

"Did your men find it?" a man murmured, the black formal suit in contrast to the white shirt he was wearing underneath giving an aura of professionalism from him.

"Aye," the other man, wearing a bandana over his head and a sleeveless T-Shirt that outlined his muscular body, said. "But...there seems t' be a problem."

"Problem you say?"

"Aye." The man nodded. "There was an Absol causin' ruckus. It well-nigh scuttled me scallywags."

"Pardon me?" the man in the suit murmured, his eyes burrowing in confusion as he stared at the man next to him. "What do you mean?"

"That Absol..." the muscular man began, laughing at his own foolishness that he spoke to a foreign man differently. "It injured my men. 'twas hard t' deal with."

"I see..."

"But we have what ye wants." The man stopped at the edge of the pier where the engine of a boat was buzzing loudly. "Pleasure doin' business with ye, Mr Anderson."

"Likewise, Mr Avery." The man in the suit, Mr Anderson, nodded and moved his hand for a shake. Avery was delighted and gleefully accepted the greeting— _who wouldn't after getting a check worth a million_?—but before their hands even touched, a scream interrupted them.

Startled, the two men took their hands back and looked in the direction of the scream, only to find one of Avery's men begging for help as a white, quadruped Pokémon thrust his teeth in the man's shoulder.

A Flamethrower interrupted the wild Pokémon, catching him by surprise. The Pokémon let the man go and leapt away, evading the breath of fire with ease before he turned to face his enemies, fresh, red blood drooling from his mouth.

"A-Absol...?" Avery murmured, horror evident in his eyes as he glanced at the Disaster Pokémon, who glared back at them. He growled threateningly at Avery's direction and prepared to attack him, but was interrupted by another Flamethrower.

"Ye mongrel, why be that thin' still alive?!" Avery exclaimed furiously, anger bursting out of him but failing to cover up the overwhelming horror in his eyes. "Kill 'im right now! That be a million doubloon check fer us! Kill 'im!"

As if on the cue, Absol was surrounded by two men summoning their Pokémon. The dark type glanced around himself, at the Seviper hissing at him from one side and a dark, canine Pokémon—a Houndoom—and the very same Pokémon that dared challenge him, on another side.

Absol snarled threateningly as he prepared to counter back, launching a powerful Hyper Beam without thinking once. The purple energy beam barely missed Houdoom before hitting a boat; a massive explosion rocked the pier and water showered everywhere as the pieces of the boat began raining down in the ocean below. Panic erupted suddenly on the island as people began running for their lives, away from the battle that was waging on.

"Go!" Avery exclaimed at Mr Anderson who was watching everything unfolding in front of him with a bewildered expression. He snapped out of his thoughts only when Avery shook him wildly. He followed the order on instinct and quickly rushed to his boat.

"Get th' Davy Jones' locker out o' here!" Avery commanded a moment later, ordering a bunch of men to follow the suited man. "Go! Go now you mongrels—!"

His voice was cut short when he noticed a Shadow Ball coming his way, his eyes widening in shock and horror. He ducked in time to avoid it but felt the impact of the explosion behind him that sent him flying forward. Avery fell on his stomach, grunting and heaving heavily as pain surged through his body.

"Goddamn, you..." he snarled under his breath as he attempted to stand back up. He only managed to get up on his knees when he saw Seviper wrapping around Absol, the dark type crying in pain.

Avery smirked and reached for his own Pokéball. "Ye made a big mistake!" He clicked his Pokéball and threw it forward. "Go Mightyena! Scuttle that bastard!"

Right as he appeared, Mightyena howled before lunging forward, his teeth shining brightly as he prepared to bite the Disaster Pokémon. Seviper moved away in time but Absol was far too distracted to notice the incoming assault.

An agonising cry escaped his throat as Mightyena viciously bit Absol. Mightyena flailed Absol around before throwing him away. Absol landed on the ground, rolling several times before coming to a halting stop. The bite marks were visible on his body.

Grunting loudly and breathing sharply, Absol forced up on his feet and glared at the Mightyena. He growled threateningly at the Bite Pokémon as if warning him to stand aside but the dark type scoffed, taking a provoking step forward.

"Cut down that piece o' scum!" Avery roared.

Mightyena howled in affirmative before dashing forward. He lunged at Absol, who stood unfazed, his eyes affixed on the Bite Pokémon. The sharp teeth of Mightyena glimmered and were it then Absol realised what he was aiming for. The Disaster Pokémon grunted as he leapt back. Mightyena moved quickly, dashing at Absol again but did not anticipate a familiar pulse coming his way. With jaw open wide, Mightyena took the entire energy of Hyper Beam right on his face, exploding into dust and sending him flying back.

Absol charged at the stunned Pokémon right away, but from the dust suddenly appeared the Seviper and lunged at him. The Snake Pokémon yet again wrapped around him tightly, hissing threateningly at him. Absol tried to break free but the large body of the reptile tightened on him more.

"Use Bite!"

Seviper hissed upon hearing to command, zir long teeth glimmering white before the reptile dug into zir prey.

 _"—sol!"_ the Disaster Pokémon cried painfully, his eyes widening and body shivering.

Desperately flailing his body, the dark type sudden unleashed a powerful Hyper Beam. The energy beam flailed everywhere and several men ducked down to evade it. Another Hyper Beam headed straight towards Hundoom, who breathed out intense flames in zir defence. The Flamethrower could hardly match the sheer strength of the overpowered Hyper Beam that broke through the flames. Before Hundoom could realise what was happening—zir eyes widening—the beam struck zir head-on and exploded on impact. Hundoom flew back, crashing into zir trainer. The pirate tried to keep his footing intact, but lost his balance to the weight of his Pokémon and fell into the ocean behind him, along with Hundoom.

The extreme heat from the Hyper Beam finally reached the Snake Pokémon who released Absol before he could hurt zir in frenzy rage.

"Ye fraggin' bastard!" Avery roared. "Wha's yer problem!"

Absol glared up at the dark-skinned man, his chest heaving and eyes burning. Avery gritted his teeth—he knew all too well what that gaze meant, but after coming this far, how could he give up?!

"Mightyena, burn 'im up!" Avery yelled.

The Bite Pokémon stood up, his mouth blazing with flames as he glared at the dark type. Digging his feet deep in the ground, he unleashed a powerful breath of flames with all his might. Absol attempted to move away, but a jolt of pain surged through him. His eyes widened and mouth wavered but he couldn't bring himself to move out, the flames absorbing him no sooner.

Mightyena didn't stop. Briefly heaving in, the Bite Pokémon once again unleashed another Flamethrower; the opponent's painful cry was music to his ears.

"Use Poison Sting, Seviper!" the other pirate yelled, the Snake Pokémon obeying without hesitation. Seviper lunged in the air and unleashed a barrage of poisonous spikes at the Disaster Pokémon. Absol's futile resistance only resulted in another explosion, the Disaster Pokémon flying in the air, body bruised and eyes barely open.

"Finish 'im!"

Mightyena lunged forward at the barely moving Absol, his paw glimmering and extending in a sharp claw of ominous aura. He howled as he struck down, only to never hit the Disaster Pokémon. Out of the blue suddenly appeared a white sword countering back his Shadow Claw, and before Mightyena could comprehend the situation, a sudden blow on his chest sent him flying back, chocking for air.

Seviper seemed to sense the presence of the suspect, but zie barely hissed before a real sword struck down right in front of zir. Startled, zie looked up but only to get slashed by something across zir face. Before the Snake Pokémon could bring zirself up, zie was once again pounced across, multiple times and sent flying away.

"W-What the—?!" Avery felt his eyes widening and mouth opening agape at the sudden turn of event. He glanced down at his Pokémon who was trying to stand back up, a meek cry escaping his throat. Seviper looked no better as zie tried to move up but shivering every once in a while.

Avery glanced in front of him, suspecting the Disaster Pokémon, but was surprised to see an unfamiliar sight. In front of Absol, who could barely move anymore, standing was a large, blue figure, tongue wrapped around zir neck and eyes barely open. Zir one hand was on zir waist and another was holding a white sword that zie was tapping on zir shoulder.

Avery took another moment to realise that the unfamiliar Pokémon was mocking him and he gritted his teeth. "Get out o' th' way ya asshole!" The Pokémon smirked at his words and Avery roared in rage. "Get rid 'o that Pokémon Mightyena!"

His words seemed to call for reinforcement, too, as several pirates came to the pier running.

Mightyena, now back on his feet, growled at the unfamiliar sight. Without any warning, he ran towards zie, leaping forward and unleashing a powerful breath of fire. To his utmost surprise, though, he passed through his own flames only to realise the Pokémon had disappeared. He sensed zie behind him but before he could turn around, the white sword struck him hard, sending him flying away. Mightyena prepared to land and leap back at the mysterious Pokémon right after, but gasped for air as the sword hit him again, this time sending him flying up high.

The Bite Pokémon finally got a glance at the Pokémon looking at him. The sword in zir hand disappeared and zie lunged at him. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Seviper lunging after zie, too, but before the Snakes Pokémon could make a move, zie disappeared suddenly, reappearing right above Seviper and pounced zir hands together on Seviper's head. Pushing zirself on the unconscious Seviper's body, zie once again leapt towards the Bite Pokemon, his eyes widening as he saw a shuriken forming in zir hand.

Mightyena lost consciousness the very moment the shuriken passed through him.

"No good!" a pirate mumbled, pulling out a Pokéball. Another pirate followed but before either of them could summon out their Pokémon, the sound of footsteps rushing their way alerted them. They hardly turned in the direction to see someone picking up the very sword that had interrupted Seviper before and striking the trainer of Seviper on the back of his head from the hilt of the sword.

The pirate succumbed breathlessly in front of the two and their eyes widened but they could hardly even look up at the hooded male before he spun around in front of them, the sword cutting through one man's arm while another on the chest. The grievous screams barely lasted another moment before he punched one man on the face and another on the neck. The two fell on the ground lifelessly.

As he glanced up in the sky, the hood falling off his head slightly to reveal his purple hair swaying with the flow of air. Mightyena fell on the floor lifelessly, albeit breathing, following by the large, bipedal landing next to him.

"Good job, Greninja," the male muttered, his voice sounding way young for his age, or the age he appeared to be.

The sound of murmuring broke his attention and he quickly turned to it, glancing at the Absol meekly crying in pain as he attempted to get back up on his feet. He quickly rushed to him along with his partner Pokémon.

"He's poisoned," he murmured as his eyes observed the wounds on the body of the Disaster Pokémon. "What was he thinking, taking on those pirates on his own?"

His ears picked the sound of sudden movements and he turned around in time to see Avery running towards the pier, a boat approaching towards its end at a fast speed.

"Quick Greninja!" the boy yelled, his Pokémon obeying with a nod but ended up launching a Water Pulse above him instead, and in time as the sphere exploded midway after colliding with Dark Pulse.

"Protect Absol!" the boy yelled and dashed forward. "I will take care of him!"

Greninja nodded, leaping up and cutting down the Dark Pulse with a glimmering white sword. The boy meanwhile charged at Avery who was past halfway towards the end of the pier. The boat soon came to stop at the edge of the pier and the boy gritted his teeth.

 _He will get away again!_

As soon as the thought encased his mind, his hand reached out for the dagger hanging on his belt and threw it at Avery. Avery noticed the pointed weapon coming his way and attempted to leap away, the dagger barely touching him as it zipped past him. As soon as he found himself at the edge of the pier, he jumped, and right after the boat once again started moving.

"No!" the boy screamed, his hands clutching tightly into a fist. "Merda! Got away again!"

Behind, the sound of explosion alerted him and the boy turned around only to see Greninja firing a shuriken at the Honchkrow—the Pokémon interrupting them—but zie evaded it easily. Zie appeared to realise zir task was accomplished because zie took off right after that, and after the boat where a pirate called zir back in the Pokéball.

Greninja landed next to the boy who was mumbling out his frustration. Placing his hands on his waist, he glanced at the boat as it started thinning from his sight. When the bipedal Pokémon nudged him, the boy turned to him, then followed the direction his Pokémon was pointing in.

Absol was on his feet, walking weekly in their direction. Although his eyes remained wary of the Disaster Pokémon, he did not budge. Absol passed his saviours without sparing them a glance and stood at the pier, his eyes observing straight ahead.

The boy looked at Greninja, who suddenly appeared apprehensive. Uncertain of this sudden change, the boy walked to the edge of the pier and next to the Disaster Pokémon. He followed the gaze of the Pokémon and only after another moment did he realise that the source of interest (or panic) wasn't the escape boat of Avery, but what laid ahead of him.

He narrowed his eyes, confusion overtaking every other emotion when he saw a giant ominous cloud thundering over an island in his line of sight. He wouldn't have cared had he not witnessed it, the chaos that would erupt among everyone in a moment.

His eyes widened the very moment he saw lightning fell from the sky and on the island in front of him, a massive explosion blowing away everything in its vicinity as if a bomb had gone off.

The next thing he knew, a massive wave was coming his way from the shore of the island on the other side, threatening to swallow him alive.

"You've got to be kidding me!"

* * *

 **And things are finally taking an interesting turn in the story after so long. Not only are new characters finally making an appearance, along with someone you might not have expected since last nineteen chapters, there are also questions starting to rise now. Who is that boy? What is the deal with that Absol? And who is that Pokemon that literally blew up everything around zir?**

 **Hope you guys would stick around to find the answers** _—_ **answers that might lead to more complex questions instead. What mystery is a good mystery without a complex plot after all?**

 **Now, while I will take my leave now and try to finish and upload the new chapter by the next month, I hope you enjoyed the chapter enough to leave reviews with possible feedback.**

 **Till next time, everyone!**


	21. Important Announcement (Temporary)

I have been trying to do this for a while now but somehow managed to lose focus every time. Something always came up or I lost motivation to do it—simply said I just couldn't properly edit this story that I have been trying to make unique and stand out among others. At this point, it is hardly different than other cliche-ridden books in a lot of ways and I blame myself for not paying attention to this earlier. Maybe I did but didn't act sooner.

Now, though, I have set my mind and I'm actively working on editing this story. Chapter 1 has already been edited (and updated) while the prologue and chapter 2 are halfway done. If this continues, I'm confident I will be able to change this story for better and make it more and more enjoyable for you.

This, however, comes with a price, too. As you have noticed already I haven't uploaded the latest chapter yet. It's not because I'm losing motivation or anything remotely close to it; in fact, I'm almost done with it. _Almost._ But the thing is, with how I'm trying to make this story better, I'm not really satisfied with the latest chapter and am trying to fix it, but the rate of progress is too slow since I'm giving more time to edits.

That being said, my point is that the future updates will be put on a hold for a now. I will definitely be working on the upcoming chapters but I cannot promise you early updates at the moment. If luck is with me, chapter 20 will be out later this month or in the early November but if it does not then I'm afraid it will have to wait till December.

I hope you understand and will continue to support me Apologies for any inconvenience and thank you for your cooperation.

—Sam


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